Freehold Township - 2
Wed, Oct. 15, 2014, 4:00 p.m. - Freehold Township (Freehold NJ)
Nicole Whitley scored from 25 yards out in
the 74th minute to help Freehold Township play to a 2-2 draw with
Freehold Borough in Freehold. Sam Lotti also scored for Freehold Township, while Nicole Sasso and
Meaghan Latona each had an assist. Ang DiCicco recorded five saves.
Lindsay Cerio had a goal and an assist for Freehold Borough. Olivia Duffy added a score and Jordan Cerio made 10 saves.
Lindsay Cerio had a goal and an assist for Freehold Borough. Olivia Duffy added a score and Jordan Cerio made 10 saves.
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Freehold Boro, Freehold Twp. settle for 2-2 draw
by
Gregg Lerner on Wed, Oct 15, 2014 10:00 PM — @gregglerner
Updated
Thu, Oct 16, 2014 9:47 AM
Sitting still is not in Sophia
Duffy’s DNA. As Freehold Boro’s unofficial emotional catalyst, the senior is a
masterful motivator through words as much as her fiery defensive actions.
But, on Wednesday, Duffy joined her
Colonial teammates on the bench early in the first half, hobbling along the
sideline on crutches after arriving from an MRI to determine the severity of a
right knee injury she sustained in a match against Middletown North a day
earlier. Still, her powerful presence for a contest with neighboring Freehold
Township had an uplifting effect, particularly for the one teammate closest to
her.
“It’s really sad,” said her
sophomore sister Olivia. “I hate that she’s on the bench, but seeing her made
me want to play even better.”
Inspired to raise her game, the
younger Duffy paid honor to her older sibling the best way she knew how,
redirecting a blistering shot by senior defender Lindsay Cerio into the back of
the net 58th minute to snap a 1-1 deadlock. The goal may not have
held up, neutralized by a late strike from Township’s Nicole Whitley as the two
sides inevitably settled for a 2-2 draw, but it struck a chord with her
influential touchstone.
“When I saw her score, I couldn’t
believe it,” Sophia said of her sister’s first career goal. “Knowing she scored
for me, makes me emotional. Township is one of the tougher teams we play. She
proved herself.”
A local derby like this doesn’t
generally need added incentives to bring out the best in the partakers.
And, both sides confirmed that with spirited play, quality challenges and
steely goalkeeping as the match wore on.
Senior defender Sam Lotti staked
Freehold Township (11-2-1) to a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute with a 40-yard
blast that dipped just below the crossbar.
Despite the oddity of working the
Boro backline without her faithful partner, Cerio worked both ends of the field
freely. Her 25-yard restart in the 18th minute whistled wide of the
left post but her second attempt eight minutes later found its intended target.
Sophomore Kaleigh Rudic served a
corner kick from the right flag that junior Ashley Latona flicked toward the
weak side where Cerio applied a quick touch before poking a shot inside the
right post for an equalizer.
“I think I’ve been more offensive
minded this year,” Cerio shared. “It was definitely different without Sophia.
We’ve played together in the middle since we were sophomores, so she is like my
sister back there. But, I was very comfortable with (junior) Emma Smith in her
place to keep pushing forward.”
The Colonials (11-2-2) snapped the
deadlock in the 58th minute on Duffy’s goal, forcing Whitley to
alter her course in search of the necessary rebuttal.
“Part of playing against Freehold
Boro is understanding where its strengths are and those strengths are in the
back,” Freehold Township coach Dave Patterson said. “It’s a holding mid and
their center backs. Obviously, losing Sophia Duffy was incredibly hard for
them, but they rose to the occasion.”
Thus, Whitley shifted away from the
teeth of the Colonials’ defense in favor of space off the flanks and discovered
exactly what she was looking for. In the 75th minute, center
midfielder Nicole Sasso recognized Whitley with room and fed the junior, who
wheeled on a right-foot from 25 yards out to bury the game-tying goal.
“I felt like in the first half, I
got four or five touches,” Whitley said. “I had to work harder and demand the
ball more. I thought things were going our way. We were a bit unlucky, so, in
that spot, I figured let me crack one.”
Freehold Boro (11-2-2)
1
1
0 0 --- 2
Freehold Twp. (11-2-1)
1
1
0 0 --- 2
FT: Sam Lotti (Meghan Latona) 5th
FB: Lindsay Cerio (Ashley Latona) 26th
FB: Olivia Duffy (Lindsay Cerio) 58th
FT: Nicole Whitley (Nicole Sasso)
75th
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