A Senior Night to Celebrate – Dragons Clinch SCT Berth on Special Night
BRICK – One of the most bitter-sweet games of every high school athlete’s career is Senior Night. It acts as one final time to step out onto the playing surface for their program. On Friday afternoon, Brick Township made sure their Senior Night tasted much more sweet than bitter.
Alexis Franco found the back of the cage twice, and the senior helped the Dragons punch their ticket to the Shore Conference Tournament for the third straight year with a 2-0 win over Howell.
Brick (7-6) lost to Middletown North in each of the last two tournaments after the current cast of seniors endured a one-win season in 2016.
“There was nothing different in the approach to this game for us honestly,” Brick Township head coach Kelly O’ Brien said about the potential stakes in the game. “We knew we had two opportunities (to clinch an SCT spot) and we knew were fortunate enough to be in this situation.”
“To do this on Senior Night adds to the legacy these girls are leaving on this program,” O’ Brien said about the senior group. “This is my fourth year coaching this program, and these girls are the last to endure a losing season. They have helped lead this program to three straight .500 or better seasons and a trip to the Shore Conference Tournament.”
With the stakes high for both clubs, there would be little time to feel each other out on the field. Each team would claim quality chances throughout the opening 15-plus minutes of the game, vying to throw the opening punch.
Franco, one of the members of the Class of 2020 celebrated before the game, made sure her team would win the first round of this fight. She poked home a loose ball in front of the net with just over ten minutes remaining in the first half to put the Dragons up, 1-0. Fellow senior Lexie Laurino assisted the goal.
“We have been a second-half team this year to be honest, so getting a goal early in the game was nice. We had some good chances; we were just unable to get one to fall,” O’Brien said of her team’s early pressure. “Once we got the first one, everyone was able to take a deep breath and start having fun again.”
After the halftime break, Brick Township dominated the possession, suffocating the Howell defense and not allowing their attack to control the ball past the midfield stripe.
Franco increased the lead to 2-0, with 21:09 remaining in the game. The goal – Franco’s 17th of the season – doubled the lead and put the Dragons that much closer to a postseason berth.
Jenna Kleissler assisted the goal. It was her fourth assist of the year.
Down by two and facing desperation, the Rebels made their best push in the final minutes of the game, but the Dragons defense, along with sophomore goaltender Pennie Winn, would not falter.
Winn only faced three shots, but she pushed aside them all to preserve the shutout. The shutout was the third of the season for Brick Township.
“Pennie is a sophomore who had not played goalie before August,” O’ Brien said. “She has been tremendous putting in the time one-on-one and watching video so she can be an impact performer back there.”
“Vivanny Alfonso and Nevin Morrison are both four-year starters in our defensive unit. They have been the core for these last three seasons,” O’Brien added.
With their ticket punched, the seniors at Brick Township are not ready to close their high school careers just yet. The Dragons will head across town to face Brick Memorial Monday afternoon in a final tune-up game to strengthen their resume before the seeding committee determines their fate in the SCT bracket.
While Brick entered the day with making the playoffs on their minds, the same would be said about Howell. The Rebels (5-6) also took the field on Friday with the chance to qualify for the tournament. With the loss, Howell fell to a game under .500. They will need to win their road game at Freehold Township on Monday afternoon on the final day before the cutoff date.
With both teams having something to play for on Friday, it made for an exciting atmosphere.
“We knew they (Howell) were in the same situation as us today. We wanted this,” O’ Brien said. “There is a difference between wanting something and earning something. Some teams might schedule an easy opponent on their Senior Night in order to get a win and not have to worry about anything, but we wanted our girls to earn this opportunity.”
Howell proved to be a valiant opponent, and they certainly made Brick work for their scoring chances. Despite controlling the ball for a majority of the second half, the Dragons would only muster up five shots on goal throughout the game. Howell goalie Kasey Darrah, although beat twice by Franco, stood tall in net and kept the Rebels within striking distance on the scoreboard.
With the regular season wrapping up, the Dragons will await their matchup for the opening round of the postseason. After being eliminated the past two years, they want to establish themselves in 2019 as more than just a “one-and-done” team.
“We lost to Middletown North each of the last two seasons,” O’ Brien said. “Last year was tough, because it happened in penalty strokes. We also had a 45-minute lightning delay.”
The tournament will be seeded on Tuesday, Oct. 8. Games will kick off two days later with the preliminary round.
“We are in. Anything can happen now that we are in,” O’ Brien said.
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