Freehold Flies Past Ocean Township

In their 1-0 victory over Colts Neck last week, the Freehold Boro boys’ soccer team displayed some impressive work but could not find the scoring touch until late in the game.

The Colonials (2-0) aimed to be more proficient in the goal department, and they certainly were in a 4-1 win over Ocean Township Tuesday afternoon at Ocean Township high school.

“To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect from Ocean. They always seem to have a good product,” Freehold Boro head coach John Lachacz said. “We have a lot of varsity experience, so I know what we can do and I knew what we were capable of.”

It did not take long for the Colonials to strike first.

Nick Pollio put Freehold on top when he tapped home a rebound off the initial shot of Cesar Lopez.

Later in the first half, Jairo Rojas fed Ryan Bailey on a perfect ball and Bailey would have no problem finishing. Bailey was a force all game long for the Colonials, as he came close to adding another goal to his impressive day.

Captain Rob Soto scored both goals of the second half. Receiving a perfect ball from Greg Johnson on a free kick, Soto headed the ball into the net, and later, dribbling through a number of Spartans’ players before beating the goalie with the outside of his foot, finalizing the tally at 4-1 on the Colonials’ favor.

After Pallio’s goal in the opening minutes, the Colonials appeared to calm down and were able to take full control of their second win of the season.

“It’s important to score goals, especially in the early going,” Lachacz said. “We were decent the last two seasons, and we have had a target on our back, so goals are always tough in the beginning of the season.”

Jason Lundy was impressive on defense throughout the game,and had two chances offensively on free kicks, but put both balls just wide.

Greg Johnson had a strong day for Freehold, as well, registering an assist in the game. 

Keeper Anthony Vazzana was impressive, most notably in the final minutes, when he made a diving save on a 2-on-1 situation. After the save, defender Hector Perez made a diving kick save to stop a ball on the goal-line.

Freehold was able to score from a multitude of places on the field -- and from multiple people -- something that needs to continue if the Colonials hope to win the B-North for a third consecutive season.

“It’s great, we’ve kind of prided ourselves on [having a number of people who can score],” Lachacz said. “We want to share the wealth and get goals from everybody going forward. It really helps.”