Field Hockey: Year in Review

The Middletown South Field Hockey team, led by Head Coach Sarah Boyce, finished an impressive season with an 11-4-1 record. That record got them into the NJSIAA North 2 Group 3 tournament, where Vorhees 3-0 defeated them. The Eagles will return their top two offensive players in Sophomore Katie Bruno and Junior Jordan Hickman. South will have to replace 3 seniors who supplied a combined 13 goals in Lindsey Carrol, Sara Howard, and Beth McLaughlin. Goalie Michele Salvati, with 79 saves and only 11 goals allowed must also be replaced for the Eagles to be successful next season.

Girl's Soccer Recap

Well, I know I said I would put a recap of all the fall sports this week, but obviously that didn't work out the way I planned so I'm gonna give it a try this week.

Coach Kristen Haar and the Lady Eagles soccer team qualified for the state playoffs this year by finishing with a 8-7-2 record. Senior Stephanie Horn and Junior Shawna Hagen split time in goal this season saving a combined 124 saves while allowing only 24 goals. Kim Bruno led the offense with a team high 7 goals and 3 assists. The team will look to build on a core group of juniors to improve on this year's record.

The football team won 20-0 on a rainy Thanksgiving day. They will play in the State Championship game next Sunday at 2:00 PM at Rutgers Stadium.

Fall Sports Review

Except for football, all of the fall sports are now over. I have decided that over the next week I will post a blurb about each of the fall sports and the top contributors on the team. Today is boys soccer.

This year, Coach Reid and the Eagles soccer team had a tough season, going 2-10-3. The top offensive player for South was Tony DiMaria, with 4 goals and 1 assist. Also leading the offensive attack was JJ Caruso, who had 3 goals and 1 assist on the season. Mike Kessig, Peter Paulson, and Rob Dill all had one goal. Mike Roura had a great season in goal for the Eagles, allowing only 20 goals in 13 games for an 87% save percentage. Roura leads a group of returners including Neil Bickler, Rob Dill and Eric Dunn. They will have to fill the shoes of graduating seniors Keith Butler, Matt DiMaggio and Rob Linford, along with DiMaria and Caruso.

Statistical Information was found here: Boys Soccer Stats

Also, the 2nd round football game will be played at Middletown South, 7:00 PM on Friday Night.

Boys XC Finishes 10th in Group 3

Sorry this should have been posted Saturday night, but something happened with the server.

Saturday afternoon the Boys Cross Country team finished 10th in the Group 3 Championship race at Holmdel Park. Pat Montalbano came in first for the Eagles once again with a time of 17:40, good for 36th place. Rob George was next across the line for the Eagles in 55th place at 17:57. Jay Malejki ran 18:00 to secure 63rd place. Brian Miller, with a time of 18:01, came in 65th. John Healy finished 85th with a time of 18:30. Jim Geant finished at 18:52 in 104th. Finishing in 112th was Conner Givens with a time of 19:03.

Football team wins 1st round game

Last night the Middletown South Football team defeated Hightstown 42-0. They scored 35 of those points in the first half. The Eagles allowed only 4 first downs the entire game, holding them to only 1 in the first half. Next week they will play Monmouth, who defeated Ocean 32-14 this afternoon.

Official Playoff Seedings

The NJSIAA posted the official Playoff Bracket for Central Jersey Group 3 on its website and the Middletown South football team will play Hightstown Friday Night at the Swamp at 7:00. Not to look too far ahead, but a potential grudge match could be in the works if both South and Ocean, who gave South its first loss in almost 4 years, win their first round matchups. The two teams would meet in the second round with a trip to the Group 3 State Championship on the line.

South Football Awaits Playoff Seeding

The Middletown South football team had a bye this week but has already had their playoff spot clinched. They still await their seeding and first round opponent. The game will be November 10th at 7:00. For now, that's all that is official. The game will most likely be at Middletown South vs. Hightstown who holds a 6-3 record. Check back after 6:00, which is when the official bracket should be unveiled by the NJSIAA.

Boys XC Qualifies for Groups; Girls Just Miss

This morning at Warinanco Park in Elizabeth, both the boys and girls cross-country teams ran in the NJSIAA North II Sectional Championship. Brian Miller led the boy’s team with a time of 17:40 in 19th place. Following right behind Miller in 20th place was John Healy, who ran the last 400 meters in 70 seconds to come in at 17:42. Pat Montalbano and Jay Malejki also came across the finish line back to back in 24th and 25th place. Montalbano finished with a time of 17:46 while Malejki's time was 17:47. Rob George finished the scoring in 36th place at 18:05. Jim Geant and Dave Liepa rounded out the team with finishes in 41st and 50th places, respectively. Geant's time was 18:18 while Liepa's was 18:35. With their Top 5 average of 17:48 and 124 points, the boys placed 3rd in their race, securing a spot in the Group 3 Championships next Saturday at Holmdel Park.

The girl’s team was 13 points out of 5th place despite strong performances by the entire team. Lindsey Setaro came in first for the team in 18th place and a time of 20:29. Finishing in 27th place was Isobel Graf with a time of 20:59. Amanda Sheppard and Jackie Coleman finished in consecutive places, 33rd and 34th, with times of 21:30 and 21:32. Next across the line for the Eagles was Carole Spoth in 40th place with a time of 21:41. Brittany Ryan then finished in 43rd place, coming in at 21:58. Jamie Mastrberti was the final South runner across the line in 47th place with a time of 22:05. Their team average was 21:15 with a total of 151 points. The girls have one more dual meet Monday versus Colts Neck at Holmdel Park.