Schools
Absegami Girls Soccer Passes Its Way to Semifinals
Braves' Seddon scores twice as Absegami beats Toms River East.
Like an older sibling teasing a younger one, the Absegami High School girls' soccer team played keep-away on Thursday afternoon, Nov. 3.
The top-seeded Braves dominated time of possession and didn’t have to make a single save in a 3-0 win over No. 8 Toms River East in an NJSIAA Group IV South quarterfinals game.
Absegami advances to take on No. 4 Eastern in the sectional semifinals on Nov. 7.
Find out what's happening in Gallowayfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
“As a whole team, I think today was the best game,” Absegami coach Elizabeth Lee said. “Everyone who played did well and we clearly controlled the game from whistle to whistle. They played great today.”
What impressed Lee the most was the Braves’ knack of keeping possession. Absegami players were patient with the ball, and their passes mostly found their teammates in space.
Find out what's happening in Gallowayfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Absegami built the attack time after time without losing possession. Even when they did give the ball up, Toms River East rarely ever challenged the Braves’ net.
“In the first half we probably had 90 percent of the possession, pinging it around,” Lee said. “We looked very good today. We played with composure rather than turning the ball over. You can tell that Toms River East was frustrated. They were chasing and then tracking back.”
Jenna Seddon’s first of two goals, on an assist by Lexi Robinson, gave the Braves a 1-0 advantage at halftime.
“She was unbelievable today,” Lee said.
She added: "I don’t know if I've ever seen a better pass. It split two defenders and found Jenna’s feet on the run. Jenna went 1 one 1 with the keeper and finished it.”
Seddon helped the Braves take a 2-0 lead as her cross eventually found Rebecca Sartorio, who scored 22 seconds into the second half.
“Like she has done all season, Rebecca was in the right place at the right time,” Lee said.
Seddon added Absegami’s third goal with an assist from Erica Skroski to help put the game out of reach. Seddon has 17 goals this season to lead the team.
Absegami will now prepare for a very good Eastern squad that has defeated and tied Lenape, the defending Group IV South champions. Eastern beat No. 5 Millville, 4-1, on Thursday.
“They play a different style,” Lee said. “They are a lot more direct. We just have to slow them down and bring them out of their style of play.”
