APP Player of the Year - Click Me or Read Below!
Sara Cobb
Freehold
Sara Cobb, Freehold / Doug Hood/Asbury Park Press
Freehold
senior goalie Sara Cobb has been a starter for the Colonials since her
freshman year and she was also the reigning Asbury Park Press All-Shore
first team goalie coming into this season.
Cobb
didn’t let high team expectations or one of the toughest schedules in
the Shore Conference knock her off her game this season. She was a vital
member of the Freehold defense and had several key moments this season
in which she earned girls soccer player of the year honors from the
Asbury Park Press.
“The
beginning of the year went really well and more of those shutouts were
due to the defense as a whole,” Cobb said. “But later in the season
especially in the postseason tournaments, I got tested and got more
opportunities to make saves. The defense and I communicated really well
this season.”
The
Colonials went 17-2 this season and started the year with 11 straight
shutouts before Wall senior forward Casey Zalewski scored in the 55th
minute to stop that streak. More importantly, the Colonials defeated
Wall, 2-1, in that Oct. 10 game and took a 16-0 winning streak into the
Shore Conference Tournament final.
“The
biggest change I have seen since meeting Sara was her ability to
communicate with and lead her teammates. As a sophomore, she was timid
at times with her teammates and the coaching staff. As a junior, she
earned her role as a captain through her leadership in the summer and
the preseason,” said Jody Smith, Freehold’s girls soccer co-coach. “As a
senior, she has been a true program leader. Every girl in the program,
from her classmates down to the freshmen team, has a role model to look
up to and a model for what a student-athlete should be.”
Cobb
literally saved Freehold’s chance to advance to the SCT final in one of
her biggest moments of the year in a showdown with Red Bank Catholic in
the SCT semifinals. After 100 minutes of scoreless soccer, Cobb saved
three of the four penalty kicks she faced as the Colonials edged Red
Bank Catholic, 3-1, on penalty kicks.
“I
knew the Red Bank Catholic game had a chance to be scoreless and I also
knew I had to remain calm in the penalty kick round,” Cobb said. “It
was definitely one of the best games of the season because Red Bank
Catholic really tested us defensively in the game.”
“There were many moments or games where I was thankful that she was
wearing our uniform and not someone else's. The SCT semifinal against
Red Bank Catholic stands out the most for me,’’ said Elyse Ingui,
Freehold’s co-coach. “She played out of her mind. Making big save after
big save in regulation and then again in overtime. If it wasn't for Sara
we would have lost that game especially with her huge saves in the
penalty kick out where she made 3 saves winning the game for us.”
For
the season, Cobb had 15 shutouts, allowed only six goals, went 3-0 in
overtime and 2-0 in penalty kicks and helped the Colonials be a dominant
team this season. For her career, Cobb finished with 47 shutouts in 78
games and went 10-1-4 in overtime and 5-1 in penalty kicks. She hasn’t
decided her college plans as of press time for this story.
“Sara
was the captain who led by example and she left a lasting impression on
the underclassmen. She always did what was expected and never
questioned any coach as to why. She was always willing to fulfill any
request or task the coaches asked of her and she always did it in a
timely organized manner,” Ingui said. “Sara lead this team to heights we
never expected to reach her junior year and her senior year she did all
she could on and off the field to get us where we wanted to go. Sara's
ability to keep her cool under pressure and remain so positive all the
time was a personality trait that our team needed and helped us through
big situations.”
