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2011-12-28 / Sports
Galanti, Patriots led way in FRHSD girls soccer
On the way to becoming the conference’s best team, Freehold Township (14-2- 3) overcame a slew of injuries, but remained unbowed through it all. The Patriots were at their healthiest in the conference tournament as they marched to the title by dominating their opponents along the way. Freehold Township did not surrender a goal in the tournament.
It took No. 1 seed and eventual Central Jersey Group IV champion Montgomery to end the Patriots’ season in the state sectional tournament semifinals, 3-2.
The return of Freehold (13-5-2), the most decorated program in the Freehold Regional High School District, to girls soccer prominence was also a headline story in 2011.
Coach Elyse Ingui’s Colonials won the Shore Conference B North Division public school title on the strength of a win over defending Shore Conference Tournament and state champion Red Bank Catholic. The Colonials advanced to the Central Jersey Group III championship match. With a roster filled with sophomores, the Colonials could be ready to go on another championship roll.
Marlboro (11-9-1) was the team of November, scoring one upset after another on the way to the school’s first appearance in a state sectional final (Central Jersey Group IV). Coach Tim McGeough’s Mustangs defeated Middletown South, 1-0, Old Bridge, 3-2, and Manalapan, 2-1, on the way to the final, where they played No. 1 Montgomery to a 2-2 tie before losing on penalty kicks.
Colts Neck (13-5) was ranked among the Shore Conference’s finest teams in 2011 and reached the conference tournament semifinals where Freehold Township was the Cougars’ roadblock.
Manalapan (9-7) again made a late push and qualified for postseason play.
Galanti, who was the area’s most dynamic player, heads the News Transcript’s All-Freehold Regional High School District Girls Soccer Team. Joining Galanti on the squad are her Freehold Township teammates Christina Camassa, Marisa DeMonte, Amanda Dailey, Gabby Davis and Sam Blair: from Freehold, Sara Cobb, Meghan Holtz, Hayley Rice and Karlie Korz; from Colts Neck, Rachel Ivanicki, Meghan Mulligan and Tori Pantaleo; from Manalapan, Allison Carhart and Catherine Traina; from Marlboro, Cathy Chukuka and Jessica Mc- Fadden; and from Howell, Deanna Columbia.
Freehold Township coach Dave Patterson described Galanti, who is headed to the University of Maryland, as “a consummate team player whose skills are unparalleled.” Galanti’s explosive speed made her a threat any time she touched the ball. Although she saw double- and triple-teams all season and missed four games with an injury, Galanti still managed to score 18 goals and hand out nine assists. Her 45 points were the second highest total in the Shore Conference.
Her biggest goal was the game-winner in the Shore Conference Tournament final against Wall. She scored a goal and had an assist in the 3-2 loss to Montgomery in the state sectional semifinal. Galanti concluded her career with 56 goals and 34 assists. Camassa, who played midfield and forward, seemed to be in the middle of the action all the time for the Patriots. Outstanding in the air, she could win the 50/50 balls. Camassa scored 10 goals and had six assists.
DeMonte owned midfield. She would start a match at center back and move to defensive midfield as the match progressed. She had a way of rising to the occasion in big games. DeMonte scored six goals and dished out five assists for Freehold Township.
Dailey was Freehold Township’s emotional and physical leader on the pitch. After playing offense for three years, she played more of a defensive roll in 2011 and relished winning 50/50 balls and starting the Patriots’ transition to offense. She scored five goals and added two assists.
Davis, the only junior among the Patriots on the All-District team, was the squad’s “unsung hero,” according to Patterson. Davis anchored a defense that recorded 12 shutouts and allowed just 15 goals. She was the last line of defense, clearing the goal area and starting the transition from defense to offense.
Blair gave the Patriots quite a security blanket as the team’s keeper. Patterson called her a “game changer” because of the way she could handle one-on-one challenges. Very aggressive in the air or coming out to break up an opponent’s attack, Blair owned the goal area. She recorded 10 shutout in 15 starts.
A young Freehold team needed senior leadership and experience and Korz provided that and more. She was outstanding on set pieces with her accurate placements. As a two-way player at midfield, she was a playmaker who delivered some of the biggest goals and assists during the 2011 season. Korz scored five goals and contributed seven assists for the Colonials.
Holtz and Rice, both sophomores, are the future of Freehold soccer and that future is in good hands.
Holtz can play any position on the field. She can defend an opponent’s top scorer or score the big goal on offense. She scored 11 goals in 2011, including the overtime winner against Hightstown in the state sectional semifinal, and added two assists.
Like Holtz, Rice could be found all over the field, getting back on defense or pushing forward and jump-starting the Freehold offense. She scored seven goals and had six assists this fall. Rice’s overtime goal beat Red Bank Catholic and that victory made the difference for the Colonials in the B North championship race.
The FRHSD had the two best keepers in the Shore Conference in Blair and Cobb, who is a junior. Cobb has continued Freehold’s tradition of excellence in goal.
“She is the rock to our defense and we can always count on her to make the big save” Ingui said of her keeper.
On a team that struggled to score goals, it was imperative that Freehold’s keeper be mistake-free and Cobb was that and more. She allowed only 11 goals all season and recorded 11 shutouts. She was outstanding in shootouts.
Ivanicki, a senior, and Mulligan, a sophomore, were a lethal forward-midfield combination for Colts Neck. The two skilled and explosive players made things happen for the Cougars. Ivanicki scored 11 goals and contributed 10 assists, while Mulligan scored seven goals and added six assists.
While Ivanicki and Mulligan took care of the offense for Colts Neck, Pantaleo, who is a junior, took charge of the Cougars’ defense. No team can compete for championships without a dependable defense and Pantaleo was Colts Neck’s field general.
Defense was Chukuka’s forte. The Marlboro junior proved to be among the Shore Conference’s best defenders because of the way she could take the opponent’s leading scorer out of the match. Her tremendous speed helped her run down any mistakes and also made her a threat in transition.
McFadden, a senior forward, was Marlboro’s go-to player on offense. She played very well in the state tournament as the Mustangs advanced to a state sectional final for the first time in the program’s history. McFadden led Marlboro in scoring with 10 goals and four assists. She scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Middletown South that kicked off the Mustangs’ great run in the 2011 state tournament.
Carhart, who has been a fine player throughout her scholastic career, saw to it that Manalapan was back in the post-season again. The senior led the team with eight goals and seven assists. Her overtime goal against Howell was critical to the Braves’ late-season drive to a berth in the state tournament.
Traina, a sophomore, used the speed she has shown in track to cover the entire field. It was hard to get anything through the Manalapan defense because of her presence in the back. Traina chipped in on offense with two goals and two assists.
Columbia, a senior forward, was Howell’s biggest scoring threat. She was the team’s finisher as the Rebels qualified for the state tournament in coach Courtney Krol’s first season (Krol led the Rebels to their only state sectional final in her senior year at Howell). Columbia led Howell in goals scored (8) and points (17).
Players who have earned All-FRHSD honorable mention recognition in 2011 are Oti Laki and Allie Petzold, Colts Neck; Julia Orrico, Freehold; Nicole Koretsky and Meg Kowalski, Freehold Township; Jessica Vigna, Chelsea James and Taylor Szyarto, Howell; Jenna Baratta, Danielle Rizzo, Brianne Nealon and Courtney White, Manalapan; and Allyson Weinberg, Jennifer Dennis and Deanna Marciano, Marlboro.
