Girls Soccer: Central Gets Revenge On Toms River South in State Playoffs

(PHOTO: Central’s Amanda Carolan knocks the ball past Toms River South goalkeeper Taylor Dean for the winning goal on Tuesday. Credit: Karen Wall)

A year ago, Amanda Carolan found herself contained, constrained and frustrated as Toms River South put the clamps on Central’s star forward in the NJSIAA South Jersey Group III girls soccer final.

On Tuesday, the Indians apparently forgot that lesson from a year ago -- and paid dearly.

Carolan scored Central’s first and last goals and assisted Gianna Argento on the second goal as the Golden Eagles beat Toms River South, 3-2, to advance to the South Jersey Group III final for the third year in a row. The victory also avenged the 2-1 loss from a year ago, when the Indians ended Central’s stellar season on the turf at Toms River South.

Central (15-5-1), the eighth seed, travels to third-seeded Moorestown on Friday for the sectional final. The Golden Eagles have never won a sectional title.

“We like being the underdog,” Carolan said after the game. “It makes us a little nervous, but it brings up our intensity.”

On Tuesday, the Golden Eagles gave the Indians a taste of that intensity and of their own medicine, blanketing Toms River South’s star forward, Taylor Troutman, continuously. Sophomore defender Courtney Richard tracked Troutman most of the time, but went the senior managed to slip away, the Central defense swarmed in. Troutman, who came into the game with 24 goals on the season, got off just a few of South’s 23 shots, and only a couple of those were uncontested.

Central didn’t get many opportunities, but made them count, especially in the early going.

Carolan, meanwhile, was allowed to roam relatively unchecked for the first 20 minutes of the game, and she and Argento made the Indians pay. Two minutes into the game Argento controlled a ball cleared by the Central defense and sent a pass up the right sideline for Carolan, who dribbled past a pair of Indians defenders and fired a shot on the ground to the far post past South’s keeper, Taylor Dean.

About 15 minutes later, it was Argento’s turn. She took a pass from Carolan up the middle of the field and threaded a pair of defenders before putting her shot into the right side past Dean.

Central’s third goal came two minutes later when Carolan took the ball about midfield and pushed it past the South defense before beating Dean one-on-one. The Indians began double-teaming her at that point, but the damage had been done.

Toms River South scored with 15 minutes left in the first half when sophomore forward Samantha Labianca looped a high cross over the head of Central’s freshman goalkeeper, Noah Smith, from the right side and found sophomore midfielder Mackenzie Ryan, who tucked the ball inside the far post.

In the second half, the Indians turned up the pressure, but it wasn’t until Tori Babcock was taken down in the penalty area that South scored again, with Charly Slavick burying the penalty shot. Except for that, the Indians struggled to put the ball on frame, with many of their 23 shots sailing over the crossbar or well wide of the goal, and few really tested Smith, who finished with seven saves.

Central now faces a Moorestown team that has not given up a goal in the state tournament while defeating 14th-seeded Cumberland 6-0, 11th-seeded Winslow 1-0, and 10th-seeded Timber Creek, 3-0. Central, by contrast, has allowed nine goals: three to Gloucester Tech in the opening round, and four to top-seeded Delsea last Friday. The Eagles have not trailed in any of those games, however, which Carolan acknowledged is an advantage.

“When you’re down 3-0, it’s definitely harder to keep your composure,” she said. But the Golden Eagles, who have trailed during games this season, trust each other and when they get behind, they don’t yell at each other, Carolan said.

If Central can beat Moorestown on Friday, not only will the Golden Eagles win their first sectional title, they also will avenge a playoff elimination at the hands of the Quakers, Carolan said.

See a gallery of photos from the game on the Toms River Patch Facebook page, here.

IF YOU GO FRIDAY:

The GPS address for Moorestown High School is 350 Bridgeboro Road, Moorestown, NJ 08057.

To get there from Central Regional High School, take Forest Hills Parkway/Pinewald-Keswick Road (also known as Route 530) west through Manchester to Route 70. Turn left on Route 70 and go about 40 miles on Route 70 to Hartford Road. Turn right on Hartford Road and go 6 miles to Route 537, also called Marne Highway. You will cross Route 38 and pass Burlington Community College just before you reach Marne Highway. Go under Route 295 -- Marne Highway becomes Westfield Road as the road bends. Go about 2 miles to Windsock Way and turn left, then just under a half-mile and turn right on Deer Rest Drive.