UPPER FREEHOLD TWP. - For better than 60 minutes of the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III final, the Wall boys soccer team frustrated an Allentown team that has experienced its fair share of frustration over the last several seasons.

Then, with two bounces of the ball, Allentown’s frustration finally ended and the Crimson Knights left Allentown as the team with the baggage heading into next year.

Wall players console goalkeeper Jack Wishart following Allentown's game-winning goal in the Central Jersey Group III Final. (Photo by Matt Manley)
Wall players console goalkeeper Jack Wishart following Allentown's game-winning goal in the Central Jersey Group III Final. (Photo by Matt Manley)
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Junior Luis Ferreira scored the golden goal in the eighth minute of overtime after junior Kevin Primich’s penalty kick tied the game in the 63rd as the top-seeded Redbirds rallied to beat No. 6 Wall, 2-1, to win their first Central Jersey III title.

“I was happy with the way we played,” Wall coach Garry Linstra said. “We had a scouting report on them and our focus was making sure we defended well on corners, throw-ins and set-pieces and they didn’t score on any of those. Unfortunately, we get a hand ball call in the box and a bad bounce in our defensive third, and they capitalized on both.”

Allentown will play South Jersey champion Ocean City Tuesday in the Group III semifinals. The Redbirds lost to Princeton by one goal in each of the past two sectional finals before finally breaking through this year.

“We’ve been on the lucky end on some bounces over the last two years, just not in the postseason,” Allentown coach Andrew Plunkett said. “The last two years were definitely a frustrating end for us and falling down by a goal after playing a good first half definitely caused some more frustration on our part. One thing I’ll say for our guys is they didn’t panic. We probably didn’t have enough energy coming out of halftime, but we didn’t panic.”

Wall took a 1-0 lead in the 36th minute on a goal by junior Brendan Barcas. Senior defender Mike Commesso headed a ball over Allentown goalkeeper Josh Samuels as the two collided. The ball rolled toward the right post and Barcas ran onto it to tap it in for the game’s first goal.

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The Crimson Knights kept the Allentown attack quiet for the first part of the second half, but the Redbirds caught a break when a ball played toward the goal hit the hand of sophomore defender Zach Ferry near the edge of the 18-yard box.

Redbirds junior Kevin Prichard converted the ensuing penalty kick to tie the game in the 63rd minute.

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Allentown won the game with Ferreira’s goal 7:02 into overtime, a shot that nicked a Wall defender before Wall goalkeeper Jack Wishart got a piece of it. Ferreira beat his man to an attempted clearance and fired his shot on goal. Wishart reacted in time to deflect the shot, but it found the back of the net for the winning score.

“I saw Prichard trying to flick the ball, and I think their guy got a head on it,” Ferreira said. “I was already making the run when I saw the challenge, so when the ball came back out, I just kept going to try to pressure it and got the shot up.”

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Prior to the final goal, Wishart kept Wall in the game by saving nine shots, many of which were leaping stabs that the junior pushed over the crossbar. His best save came on a low shot, a left-footed strike from six yards by Kevin Pereira that Wishart saved with a dive to his left.

“Wishart’s 100 miles-an-hour all the time and just brings a lot of energy for us,” Linstra said. “He’s in command back there. With Cameron Wenz, maybe our best defender out for most of the game, I thought our defense really stepped up and Wishart was a part of that.”

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Wenz played limited minutes due to a muscle strain in his leg, according to Linstra.

After Allentown outshot Wall 9-2 in the first half, the Crimson Knights not only kept Allentown quiet over the next 22 minutes, but even had two chances to score the winning goal, both by Barcas. In the 55th minute, with his back to the goal, Barcas slipped a pass from Zach Hetzel through the legs of the marking back, spun past his man and fired a shot past Samuels that stayed just wide of the far right post.

Barcas got another chance shortly after Allentown tied the game. The junior forward one-timed a hard shot from 12 yards out on the right side, but this time, Samuels was in position to make the save.

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Wall will lose four senior starters to graduation, which means seven will return to help it try to finish what this year’s team started.

“These seniors came in on Day One and did everything that was asked of them,” Linstra said. “It’s disappointing that we couldn’t send them off with a championship, but their leadership has been a big part of what we’ve been able to do.

“We have a good group of players who have stepped up this year and will be coming back, and I think because of the experience they got this year, they are going to have a chance to take that next step.”

 

Box Score

Allentown 2, Wall 1

1

2

F

Wall (14-3-6)

0

1

1

Allentown (16-3-0)

0

0

0

Goals (Assists): (W) B. Barcas (Commessa) 36’; (A) Prichard (PK) 63’, Ferreira 88’
Shots: Allentown, 17-5
Saves: (W) Wishart 9; (A) Samuels 2

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