Boca men still perfect after rout of Middletown – Brick Township Bulletin
June 28, 2007
Boca men still perfect after rout of Middletown
Published June 28, 2007
Brick Township Bulletin
The Jersey Shore Boca men’s U23 team took the pitch June 19 under the lights at the John Patrick Sports Complex in Lakewood and routed the Middletown Celtic (N.J.) 7-0 in a mid-week Mid-Atlantic Summer Showcase League (MSSL) regular season game.
With the win, Boca improves to 3-0-2 and moves into second place in the overall U23 MSSL league standings with 11 points, one point behind league-leading Hillsborough SC (4-0-0 and 12 points) while Middletown falls to 1-3-1 and moves down into 15th place with 4 points on the season.
Boca will face Hillsborough in a regular MSSL league game on Sunday, June 24, at noon at the Hillsborough Municipal Complex.
Longtime Jersey Shore Boca veteran and former Toms River North High School and Ocean County College standout Jason Mancuso erupted for five goals on the evening, striking in the 18th, 20th, 22nd, 66th and 75th minutes, the first of which came on a converted penalty kick attempt.
Mancuso, who will attend York College of Pennsylvania in September with one year of NCAA eligibility remaining, has now scored 10 goals over the past three games for Boca.
Boca also received goals from two other former Mariner standouts, Mark Schmiegel in the 35th minute and Butch Huff in the 58th minute. Schmiegel, a junior at Bucknell University in the fall, also assisted on two goals while Huff, a sophomore at The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, recorded the assist on Schmiegel’s goal.
Boca’s Justin McGrath (Brick), a standout senior midfielder and All-American candidate at Seton Hall University, also made his presence felt as he returned to Boca’s starting 11 after missing the first two weeks of action, and assisted on two of Mancuso’s goals and on Huff’s single strike.
Keeper Brett Axelrod (Union) recorded his first shutout of the season in goal for Boca.
On the women’s side, Boca won their first game in program history, topping Hackettstown on two goals from The College of New Jersey standout Erin Cunliffe (Lakewood) and single strikes from Nicole Tatulli (Brick), Erica Kapps (Jackson), Katie Bubins (Marlton) and Emily Wagner (Brick).
Georgian Court University’s Megan Kielt (Brick) assisted on three goals in Boca’s onslaught while Brittany Heller (Newton), Alley Abate (Oceanport) and Kapps picked up one each.
Wagner and Leah Sachs of Montclair State University combined for the shut-out in the net.
The second match of the day for the Boca women proved to be some of the most competitive soccer of the afternoon as they squared-off against the N.J. Wildcats reserve side.
The N.J. Wildcats First Team squad is a member of the United Soccer League’s W-League.
After an even match throughout the first 20 minutes, Boca allowed a goal midway through the first half. The Boca women then settled in and created several scoring opportunities, which unfortunately they could not capitalize on as the first stanza ended 1-0 in the Wildcats’ favor.
Seven minutes into the second half, Cunliffe won a ball from a Wildcat defender about 40 yards out and sent a perfectly timed through-ball to Tanya DiDonna (Colts Neck). The 2006 NSCAA All-Region First Team selection from Centenary College buried her shot to the near post past a diving Wildcat keeper to even the score at 1-1.
After play went back and forth for the next 25 minutes, the Wildcats tallied the game-winner with five minutes left, to end the game 2-1.
Wager, a 2004 Brick High School graduate who started 20 games for Lock Haven University (Pa.) last season, played the full match in goal for the Boca women (1-1-0).
Published June 28, 2007
Brick Township Bulletin