Middletown South Wins Central Jersey Group III State Sectional Final

Brick Memorial, High School, Middletown South, Other Sports, Soccer

November 6, 2022

Middletown South girls' soccer won the Central Jersey Group III state sectional final Saturday against Brick Memorial 3-2 in double overtime at home. Coming into the matchup, the Middletown South Eagles were seeking their third sectional title since 2017 which they were able to accomplish as a team. In the beginning of match, both teams had a great defensive start on the pitch as they attacked, were aggressive, got clears, key saves and used traps.

Makayla Jaffe started off the scoring for Middletown South with 5:40 left in the first half as she got a nice ball and pass from her teammate to set up that goal. Middletown South's defense was able to hold onto the 1-0 lead going into halftime, but Brick Memorial had chances to tie it up before the half. They had great spacing on the offense and was aggressive in the game.

Second half changed everything for Brick Memorial as their goalie Hayley Tighe had to come out of the game at 57th minute which could have been the deciding factor against Middletown South. The backup goalie played great, but it wasn't enough to win against Middletown South. Brick Memorial started to be aggressive and attacking on offense getting more shot attempts and kept up.

Brick Memorial tied the game at 1-1 in the 56th minute with a goal from Brooke DeAlmeida off the corner kick and a nice finish. This was big for them to at that moment as the momentum changed a little in their favor. Middletown South had opportunities to retake the lead when the goalie went down but couldn't finish. Brick Memorial's defense stepped up at that moment and came up with some big clears.

Middletown South retook the lead with 9:02 left in second half from Bea Tinoco, who scored her 21st goal of season, made it 2-1 against Brick Memorial. Then Brick Memorial answered again with 5:34 left to tie at 2-2 as they go back and forth making it entertaining. The score would hold up going into overtime. Nothing happened as both defenses played back, stayed organized and making the shot attempts tough.

Then Middletown South and Brick Memorial went into double overtime in this crazy match for the Central Jersey group III state sectional final. Jaffe ended up being the hero for Middletown South as she scored her second goal of game that helped them win the state sectional final against Brick Memorial for the first time since 2017. What a big moment for her, the coaching staff and teammates as they stormed the field to celebrate.