Huskey, Johnson spark No. 7 Freehold Boro past Matawan
by
Gregg Lerner on Wed, Oct 2, 2013 9:14 PM 
The wave of numbers Freehold Boro
sends forward is enough to make a defender’s head spin. Yet, the most dizzying
aspect isn’t the scoring options available within its 4-5-1 formation but the
countless amount of weaving runs they make, especially along the wings, that
could disassemble even the most organized backline.
Designated positions seem like
nothing more than a formality as defenders constantly overlap deep into the
final third and central midfielders venture to the flanks to strengthen its
presence on the periphery, where the magic of the Colonial’s offense quite
often unfolds.
“Making the most of the width is
important because when we have the ball outside, it opens up the center of the
field so much,” noted junior striker SarahGrace Johnson, one of the primary
beneficiaries of the scheme. “Spreading the field has helped our offense so much.”
Twice in a span of three minutes
early in the first half, Johnson exhibited what can unfold through the
flexibility of the design, setting up a quick strike by Jenna Huskey before
applying a finishing touch on a feed from Hayley Rice as unbeaten Freehold
Boro, No. 7 in the MSG Varsity New Jersey Top 15 power rankings, built an
overwhelming foothold around the net en route to a 3-0 victory over visiting
Matawan on Wednesday.
“We want to force our people to get
forward and give our outside backs the encouragement to join the attack,”
Freehold Boro coach Elyse Ingui said. “This addresses the offensive problems
that we’ve had in the past.”
The Colonials are experiencing no
such shortage of opportunities or scoring production. They generated 26 shots
during the flow of play, confidently driving to net due in part to the utmost
faith in a defense that has allowed just one goal all season and notched its
eighth shutout.
So connected was the defensive
rotation of Sophia Duffy, Lindsay Cercio, Christina Stabile, Emma Smith and
Olvia Cannorozzi, Matawan didn’t get off its one and only shot of the match
until just 25 seconds were left in regulation.
“It makes the job easier knowing
that we’re strong in the back,” Ingui said. “Even when one of them steps,
another is quick to cover.”
Freehold Boro (9-0) occupied the
final third almost immediately and reaped the rewards in the first 10 minutes.
Johnson played a low cross from deep
in the left corner that Huskey ran onto and one-touched with authority into the
near corner in the seventh minute and three minutes thereafter, rugged senior
outside mid Hayley Rice fended off a defender and hit a low service that
Johnson greeted with a redirect at the six for a 2-0 cushion.
“There is a lot of speed on this
team,” said Huskey, who added the third goal in the 74th minute on
an assist by Allyson McNamee. “When SarahGrace makes the run outside, I can
make the run in toward goal.”
It’s that interchanging intertwine
of worthy distributors and how freely they operate that’s been a primary reason
Freehold Boro is averaging 3.6 goals per contest. Even senior Meghan Holtz, its
resident playmaker and notable fixture in the central midfield, can’t contain
herself and veers occasionally to the wings to compromise a defense’s ability
to account for her whereabouts.
“You have to figure out a way to
open up the midfield because it’s so crowded,” said Holtz, one of 10 different
players who made threatening charges along the sideline during the first half.
“When you make the run to the outside, it presents another option for the
outside wing to look for and provides another run to move the attack forward.”
The output of the offense was
balanced by how well Freehold Boro neutralized the speed of Matawan (4-4) up
top, with Duffy in particular defusing a number of advances by running her mark
off the ball.
Gregg Lerner covers girls soccer for
MSG Varsity. Follow him on Twitter: @gregglerner
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