Southern Boys Soccer Shoots for First State Title

Boys Soccer NJSIAA Group IV Championship

Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024

At Franklin High School

Southern (18-5-1) vs. Scotch Plains-Fanwood (19-1-2), 12:30 p.m.

 

Southern at a Glance

Head Coach: Guy Lockwood
Sectional Playoff Seed: No. 4 in South Jersey Group IV
State Final Appearances: None
State Championships: None

Starters

Aidan Donnelly, Sr., Forward (28 goals, 4 assists)

Brody Nacarlo, Jr., Forward/Midfield (5 goals, 7 assists)

Jefferson Rubi Cruz, Sr., Forward/Midfield (8 goals, 1 assist)

Nick Prosperi, Sr., Midfield (10 goals, 5 assists)

Kaan Zenger, Sr., Midfield (9 goals, 5 assists)

Brody Reynolds, Sr., Midfield (3 goals, 10 assists)

Caden Schweigart, Jr., Defense (1 goal, 3 assists)

Shane Holden, Sr., Defense (2 assists)

Nick Leiriao, Jr., Defense (3 assists)

Jonathon Mandell, Sr., Defense (1 assist)

Ryan Schweigart, Sr., Goalkeeper (7 shutouts)

Key Reserves

Cristian Alvarado, Sr., Forward/Midfield (2 assists)

Tyler Houghton, Jr., Midfield (2 assists)

Beau Wager, Jr., Forward/Midfield

Colton Davis, Jr., Midfield (1 assist)

Road to the Final

South Jersey Group IV

Opening Round

Heading into the state tournament on a three-game winning streak, Southern got its postseason off on the right foot with a convincing, 5-1 win over No. 13 seed Pennsauken. Senior captain Nick Prosperi starred with a hat trick and juniors Brody Nacarlo and Caden Schweigart each added a goal.

Sectional Quarterfinals

The fourth-seeded Rams hosted No. 12 Gloucester Tech after Gloucester Tech upset No. 5 Lenape and the visiting Jaguars kept Southern’s high-scoring attack off the board for the entirety of the first half. The second half was a different story, with Jefferson Rubi Cruz connecting for two goals and Aidan Donnelly knocking in another to build up a 3-0 Rams lead before Gloucester Tech broke up the shutout late.

Sectional Semifinals

Facing an eighth-seeded Central side that knocked Southern out of the Shore Conference Tournament and eliminated defending South Jersey Group IV champion and top seed Washington Township, Southern jumped on top with a goal by Kaan Zenger, then struck for two goals in the early stages in the second half – one by Brody Reynolds directly off a corner kick and another by Donnelly. Donnelly later added his second goal and fourth for Southern as the Rams sewed up a 4-1 win.

Sectional Final

Donnelly rolled up a hat trick and Southern opened up a huge lead before holding on for a 6-3 win over Toms River North, giving Southern its first ever NJSIAA sectional title. The Rams took the lead on an own goal and Donnelly stretched the lead to 2-0 on Donnelly’s first goal, which came off the first of Reynolds’s three assists. Prosperi headed in a Reynolds corner kick for a 3-0 lead before halftime and Donnelly scored 39 seconds after Toms River North broke up the shutout for a 4-1 lead.

Zenger headed in Southern’s fifth goal and a free kick by Donnelly completed the hat trick and put Southern ahead, 6-1. A second yellow card on defender Shane Holden gave Toms River North a man advantage and the Mariners scored two goals within two minutes to cut its deficit to 6-3. Southern goalkeeper Ryan Schweigart made a key double-save to prevent a fourth goal and Southern stabilized the game to close out its first ever sectional championship.

Group IV Semifinal

After scoring 18 goals in four sectional playoff wins, Southern had to make one goal stand up against the defending Group IV champion and got the job done. Donnelly scored his seventh goal of the tournament on another direct kick in the fifth minute and Schweigart made a huge save in each half to help the Rams close out a 1-0 win. Reynolds also made a key defensive play, clearing the ball away from the goal with a diving header in the 77th minute.

Scotch Plains-Fanwood at a Glance

Head Coach: Alex Passucci
Sectional Playoff Seed: No. 1 in North Jersey Section 2, Group IV
State Final Appearances: 14 (2016, 2014, 2005, 2004, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1994, 1992, 1991, 1989, 1987, 1985)
State Championships: 7 (1998, 1997, 1995, 1992, 1991, 1989, 1987)

Starters

Jayvon Young, Jr., Forward (18 goals, 6 assists)

Caden Matulonis, Sr., Forward (2 goals, 1 assist)

Anastasio Pavlou, Fr., Forward/Midfield (11 goals, 5 assists)

Sam Lindell, Sr., Midfield (1 goal, 3 assists)

Sam Valera, Sr., Midfield (4 goals, 1 assist)

Luca Passucci, Sr., Midfield (4 goals, 11 assists)

Bradley Pearce, Jr., Defense (1 goal, 3 assists)

Devin Pearce, Sr., Defense (4 goals, 3 assists)

Jack Sponheimer, Sr., Defense (2 goals, 4 assists)

Massimo Passucci, So., Defense (4 assists)

Shawn Guzman, Jr., Goalkeeper (15 shutouts)

Key Reserves

Colin Kochanowicz, So., Forward (3 goals, 3 assists)

Darren Edelman, Jr., Midfield (3 goals, 1 assist)

Ryan Wyatt, Jr., Forward (1 goal, 2 assists)

Aavik Akarte, Fr., Forward/Midfield (1 goal)

Road to the Final

South Jersey Group IV

Opening Round

Seven different players scored a goal, with Darren Edelman adding an assist to go with his goal as the Raiders rolled to a 7-0 win over No. 16 Linden.

Sectional Quarterfinals

Jayvon Young posted a hat trick and Anastasio Pavlou and Bradley Pearce each added a goal to lead Scotch Plains to another five goals in a 5-2 win over No. 8 Dickinson.

Sectional Semifinals

Sam Valera scored two goals and Young added a goal and three assists to spearhead yet another Rams rout – this time a 5-0 win over No. 4 Newark East Side.

Sectional Final

Scotch Plains-Fanwood completed a dominant sectional title run with a 3-0 win over No. 3 seed and rival Westfield. Young continued his torrid tournament with two more goals, giving him seven goals and three assists in four wins. Luca Passucci scored the other Raiders goal.

Group IV Semifinal

Scotch Plains got its first test of the NJSIAA Tournament, squandering a 2-0 lead vs. North Jersey Group 1 champion Ridgewood before winning on a golden goal by freshman Aavik Akarte that gave the Raiders 3-2 win in overtime. Senior Jack Sponheimer assisted two of the Scotch Plains goals, including the winning header by Akarte. Pavlou opened the scoring midway through the second half and Young’s eighth goal of the tournament extended the Scotch Plains lead to 2-0 in the 47th.

Championship Breakdown

Two teams that have been scoring goals at a breakneck pace during the state tournament clash in what has a good chance to be the most entertaining state final of the four games being played at Franklin on Sunday.

Southern’s first ever run to the Group IV championship game has been powered by its front six players scoring at will, particularly senior striker Aidan Donnelly. On the season, Donnelly has scored 28 goals and has pumped in seven goals in five games during the state tournament run. During its four wins in the South Jersey Group IV bracket, Southern scored 18 goals with at least three goals in every game. In the Group IV semifinal vs. Princeton, the Rams managed just one goal vs. the defending Group IV champion but managed to post a clean sheet to secure the win.

Somehow, Scotch Plains-Fanwood has been even better scoring goals. The Raiders scored 20 goals en route to winning the North Jersey Section 2, Group IV championship, including a 5-0 win over a quality Newark East Side squad and a 3-0 win over Westfield in the sectional final. Like Southern, Scotch Plains was tested in the Group IV semifinal after coasting through the sectional players, although the Raiders still did plenty of scoring.

Junior Jayvon Young has scored eight of his 18 goals on the season during the NJSIAA Tournament, including two goals in the sectional final win over Westfield and a hat trick in the 5-2, sectional quarterfinal win over Dickinson.

Westfield has allowed two goals in a game just three times this season, but two of those occasions came in the state tournament – including the 3-2 overtime win vs. Ridgewood. The scoring trend, meanwhile, is a relatively new development; Scotch Plains scored three goals or more in five of its first six games, then did so just once in its next 11. Then, the state tournament started and the Raiders have scored at least three goals in all five of their wins.

With Young the target at the top of the formation, freshman Anastasio Pavlou has been the top complementary scorer for the Raiders. He will play on the wing opposite senior Caden Matulonis.

Sam Lindell and Sam Valera are creative midfielders and Luca Passucci is a play-making holding midfielder. The Raiders also have a skilled set of defenders, with all four of Devin Pearce, Jack Sponheimer, Massimo Passucci and Bradley Pearce capable of pushing forward and producing offense.

Southern’s strength is its attack, with Donnelly at the head and classmate Brody Reynolds holding it together from a defensive center midfield position. Seniors Nick Prosperi and Kaan Zenger are productive midfielders and junior Brody Nacarlo has been a versatile piece throughout the season, capable of playing in the midfield and also proving capable of holding the ball up top as a forward.

Senior Jefferson Rubi Cruz is an x-factor forward who can make opponents who over-extend to stop Donnelly pay – as he did with two second-half goals in a 3-1 win over Gloucester Catholic in the sectional quarterfinals.

Southern’s defense has settled in to play its best during the postseason. Senior Shane Holden has been a constant at center back throughout the year and junior Caden Schweigart has developed into a lynchpin of the lineup at left outside back. Senior Jonathon Mandell has also raised his game at right outside back and the emergence of junior Nick Leiriao at the other center back spot has take the defense to the next level.

In goal, Ryan Schweigart is an aggressive goalkeeper whose confidence attacking balls in the air and saving shots has made him an ideal postseason goalkeeper. He has only one playoff shutout this year, but it came in the one game Southern needed it.

Prediction

While Southern goes for its first ever state title, Scotch Plains is making its 15th appearance, but has not won a championship since the turn of the millennium. It stands to reason that Sunday’s Group IV final will feature at least three goals, and that might be a conservative estimate. Both of these teams will be playing away from their respective home fields for the first time and for Southern, that will be a big difference moving from a worn-down grass football field to a standard turf surface.

Scotch Plains is likely to possess the ball more, while Southern will look to get the ball forward to Donnelly. The Rams will have to play more possession soccer on turf, but the goal is still to get Donnelly the ball with space to work. With the senior striker on his game and Schweigart locked-in in goal, the Rams enter Sunday with a lot of momentum and a combination that Scotch Plains will have difficult solving.

The Pick: Southern, 3-2