Girls Soccer: Central Regional Falls In Sectional Title Game To Moorestown

(PHOTO: A Central Regional shot goes just wide against Moorestown in the NJSIAA South Jersey Group III title game Friday afternoon. Credit: Colleen Burg)

For the third straight year, Central Regional’s girls soccer team reached the state sectional final.

And for the third straight year, the Golden Eagles’ hopes of getting that title were dashed as Central (15-6-1), the eighth seed, fell to Moorestown 3-0 in the NJSIAA South Jersey Group III championship game Friday afternoon in Moorestown, according to reports from game attendees.

The Quakers (15-5-1) got two goals from their leading scorer, Abbey Brooks, and completely handcuffed Central’s powerhouse forward, Amanda Carolan, to win the game.

Carolan was double-teamed most of the game, and at times Moorestown even triple-teamed her. That prevented the Georgetown-bound senior from even being able to pass and get her teammates involved -- something the Golden Eagles had exploited to their advantage throughout the season.

Moorestown scored in the 15th minute when Melanie Becker took a pass from Quinn Nicolai, beat a defender and knocked the ball past a charging Noah Smith, who had come out to challenge Becker on the play. The game remained 1-0 until just before halftime, when Brooks scored her first goal, heading in a ball off a corner kick.

As the second half opened, Brooks scored again, taking the ball down the right sideline, then heading to the middle of the goal, where she faked a shot and then drilled the ball to the far post.

Central had a few opportunities, but the Golden Eagles’ shots simply didn’t find their target.