FOOTBALL
September
9 Morristown 26 - SHP 10 [photos]
passing: -DiTommasso- 7-12, 112 yd; Buzbee- 4 carries, 37 yd, 1 TD;
Marrotta- 6-30 yd.; Higgins- 4 rec - 49 yd; Buzbee- 8 tackles, 1 sack; Sant'Ambrogio- 11 tackles, 1 fumble rec
16 SHP 42 - Columbia 6-
[photos]
Busbee 4 rushes-88 yd, TD; Pepe 5-16, 2 TD; Toth 1-9, TD; Packson 8-43;
Busbee- 1 INT- TD, 4 tackles; Mazza 8 tackles; Sant'Ambrosio 55yd punt ret for TD; Cherami 42 yd FG
22 SHP 27 - Morris Knolls 20 -
[photos] Pepe 17 rushes- 152 yards; TD Pepe 36 run (Cherami PAT),
DiTommasso 14 run, DiTommasso 2 run (Cherami PAT), Pepe 1 run (Cherami PAT)
30 SHP 25 - East Orange Campus 0- [photos] Marotta- 5 rushes- 52 yds, 2 TD; Paxson 5-34, TD;
Pepe 16-97; Mayes- 3 INT, 89 yd ret of INT for TD; DiLorenzo- 2 sacks; Higgins- 2 sacks;
Hartwick- sack, 8 tackles; Buzbee- 12 tackles
October
7 SHP 37 - Mt. Olive 21 - [photos] Paxson TD 3 run (Cherami kick); Merklinger 20 run (Cherami kick);
Buzbee 13 run (Cherami kick); DiTommasso 1 run; Buzbee 9 pass from DiTo (Cherami kick);
FG Cherami 22- Toth 11 tackles, DiFranco 9 tackles
13 SHP 20 - West Morris Central 0- [photos] DiTommasso 7-8, 75 yd 1TD;
Marrotta 5 rushes-88 yd, TD; Pepe 14-70 TD; Toth 10 tackles, INT
21 SHP 17 - Randolph 7 [photos] DiTommaso 5-8, 107 yards, TD;
Buzbee 3 rec, 72 yards, TD, 12 tackles, 2 sacks; Higgins 7 tackles, sack
28 SHP 33 - Roxbury 13 [photos] DiTommaso 3 of 6 - 61 yds passing, TD; 11 rushes, 108 yds, TD;
Paxson 4 rushes, 46 yds, 2 TD; Marotta 1 rec, TD; Buzbee 8 tackles, 1 sack.
November
3 SHP 28 - Livingston 7 [photos]
DiTommaso 5-10, 93 yd, 2 TD; Pepe 17 rushes 90 yd, TD;
Marrotta 5-75, TD; Sant'Ambrogio 1 rec 19 yd, TD; Buzbee 1 rec 29 yd, TD; Mazza 10 tackles;
Buzbee 8 tkls; Sant'Ambrogio 8 tkls.
11 NJSIAA State Tournament SHP 33 - Red Bank Catholic 12 [photos] Pepe TD 4 run;
Marotta TD 81 yd kick return; Higgins TD 17 pass from DiTommaso; Marotta TD 28 run; Paxson TD 4 run
18 NJSIAA State Playoffs St. Peters 21 - SHP 7 [photos] Head Coach: John Finnegan
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SOCCER
September
8 Morristown W 3-1 [photos] After a sluggish start, the Pirates finally got on the board with 3:30 left in the
first half on a pretty combination up front. Senior striker D.J. salmon got loose on the left and cut the ball back to junior striker C.J. Crooks at the top of the box. Crooks turned and passed on to Stefan Corbosiero,
sending the senior midfielder in on net, and Corbosiero made no mistake finishing from 12 yards out.
Twelve minutes into the second half junior Brian Maher took a free kick on the left
side. Senior defender Kevin Riley rose to head the ball at the far post. Senior midfielder Blake Adams ran onto the header, beating the keeper to it and stuffing the ball home from the doorstep. Five minutes later
The Prep added its third goal. Maher's header sent senior midfielder Jon Oakafor away down the left side. Okafor cut into the box along the goal line and slotted a pass back for Salmon to knock home from in front.
Morristown scored with 19 minutes left to make things interesting, but Seton Hall maintained control, managing several more good scoring chances in the game's waning minutes. [-Matt
Berman] 12 Columbia ppd
14 Morris Knolls ppd
16 SHP 6 - East Orange Campus 1- [photos]
The first goal was scored thirty seconds into the game when CJ Crooks sent Blake Adams down the right side. DJ Salmon then knocked in the rebound off of Blake's shot. The second goal came from John Oakafor with 12:45 left in the first half. John raced down the left side into the box. When his cross got blocked, it came right back to him on the goaline where he beat one defender and ripped a shot from about the six by the goalkeeper. Seton Hall's third goal was created with 11:30 left in the half when Blake got free down by the right corner. Blake then hit a cross that was flicked on by DJ for CJ Crooks who blasted a shot from the penalty spot. The fourth goal was put in with 5:30 remaining in the half with yet another combination involving DJ, CJ, and Blake. Blake put DJ in on net from the right side and his shot was blocked, but CJ was there to tuck it home. The Prep didn't wait long to put themselves on the board in the second half by scoring yet another goal with 27:09 remaining. CJ completed the hat trick by putting in a low hard shot from around the 18. He was assited by Sean Duggan and Brian Maher. The Prep's last goal was scored by Sean Duggan with 16:33 left in the game. He recieved a ball around the 12 after Jordan Schafer blocked a clearance. [-Matt Berman]
18 SHP 7 - Mt. Olive 1 [photos] C.J. Crooks netted four goals and D.J. Salmon two to lead the 7-1 win over Mt.
Olive. Crooks scored just 48 seconds into the match when he took a pass from Stefan Corbosiero and muscled through the last defender before driving the ball home. The fireworks continued 1:30 later when Salmon volleyed
in a cross from Jon Okafor at the far post for a stunning 2-0 lead. Midway through the half Crooks took a nifty flick on from Sean Duggan and scored from in close. With 6:10 remaining in the half Salmon was sent in on
net by Corbosiero and made no mistake in making the score 4-0. After Mt. Olive scored to open the second half, Crooks scored a penalty kick and then added another with a sharp-angled shot off both posts before retiring
for the day with 32 minutes still left in the game. Duggan tacked on the final goal with a left-footed blast from twenty yards after taking an artful feed from Emerson Lawrence. [M.Berman] 20 SHP 5 - West Morris 1 [photos] In what must be a school soccer record, The Prep scored in the opening minute for the third consecutive game today, Stefan Corbosiero did the honors, taking a pass from Brian Maher with his back to the goal along the end line and deftly flicking the ball over
his shoulder into the far corner of the net from an almost impossible angle to open the scoring 48 seconds into the match. D. J. Salmon made it 2-0 just 4:30 later with a breakaway off a
steal of a back pass. Sean Duggan rifled in the third goal off a pass from Salmon with 24:22 left in the half. The real backbreaker occcured just 24 seconds before intermission when George Caiella's quick throw-in
sent Blake Adams flying down the wing and C.J. Crooks was able to convert Blake's cross for the goal and a stunning 4-0 lead on the road. Corbosiero added the final goal when he walked in on net after
Brian Maher's through ball beat their offsides trap with 29:42 still left in the game.
26 SHP 7 - Randolph 0 Probably as good a game as any Prep soccer team has ever played.
Here is the wrap up: D. J. Salmon opened the scoring 8:24 into the match after taking a perfect through ball from C.J. Crooks and cutting past the final defender to drive it home. One minute later D.J. rose to head Jon
Oakfor's free kick towards goal and Blake Adams redirected it past the keeper from in close to make it 2-0. Midway through the first half Kevin Riley nailed a penalty kick to make it 3-0. It was Riley's first varsity
goal and well-earned since Riley and Matt O'Neil were (as usual) the backbone of another superb defensive effort. Before the half was over Crooks scored at the near post off a nifty feed from Stefan Corbosiero, and Leo
Rodio ran onto a ball pushed across the box by Okafor for a stunning 5-0 lead at intermission. It was also the first varsity goal for Rodio, a sophomore midfielder. Twelve minutes into the second half Rodio got his
second, this one on a 25-yard blast off a feed from Jordan Schafer. Sean Duggan capped the scoring with 10:45 left, stuffing in a cross from Corey Adams. Junior goalkeeper Gabe Gaggioni made several outstanding diving
saves to preserve The Prep's first shutout of the season. [M.Berman]
28 SHP 4 - Roxbury 0 [photos]
C.J. Crooks headed in three goals and Kevin Riley and Matt O'Neil provided strong defense to pace The Prep to its sixth straight win. Crooks opened the scoring 10:41 into the game by heading in a cross from Jon Oakafor. Oakafor had been set up on the left side by Stefan Corbosiero. Just 3:41 into the second half Crooks struck again when he headed in a free kick taken by Emerson Lawrence. CJ made it 3-0 five minutes later by rising to head in a Corbosiero corner kick. With 16:06 left Oakafor closed out the scoring by rocketing in a 25 yard blast off a rebound of a Leo Rodio shot. Riley and O'Neil played their usual airtight defense in front of goalie Matt Zielyk as The Prep picked up its second straight shutout. The Prep is now ranked No. 15 in The Star-Ledger Poll.
29 Livingston ppd TBA
October
1 Essex County Tournament SHP 11 - Barringer 0- Rob Russo, Jordan Schafer, Egidio
Carlino and Chris Nelson got their first varsity goal in the second half as The Prep downed Barringer, 11-0 in the first round of the ECT. The Prep got on the board when Brian Maher scored three minutes into the game.
He would finish up with two goals in the game. The next goal came two minutes later when DJ Salmon scored on a through ball from Jon Oakafor on the right side. It was 3-0 after ten minutes when CJ Crooks headed in a
perfectly placed chip from Oakafor. Crooks got his second when he tipped in a shot from Salmon. Before the half was over Maher blasted home a pass from Salmon and Duggan added an 18-yard rip after taking a pass from
Carlino.
In the second half Nelson, a sophomore back, scored running onto a ball at the far post. Russo and Shafer then teamed up for a spectacular goal. Jordan's 25-yard shot caught the underside
of the crossbar and just missed going in, but Rob raced in to slam the rebound home. Schafer then flicked on a cross from Will McKenna that sent Carlino walking in for a goal. The unselfish Schafer finally got his first
when he took McKenna's pass in front and made no mistake from the penalty spot. Russo capped the scoring after nutmegging the final defender in the left corner before cruising in alone. 3 SHP 11 - Barringer 0- For the
second time this year Morristown was able to keep The Prep's powerful offense at bay for most of the first half, but fortunately again the Pirates eventually broke through and swept the season series with a convincing
4-0 win. With only 8:18 left before intermission Jon Okafor broke down the Colonials' defense with a perfect through ball that sent C.J. Crooks in on a breakaway that broke the scoreless deadlock. Five minutes later
Brian Maher won a critical 50-50 ball with a slide tackle in midfield. Crooks was able to take the ball from there and burst into the penalty area where he slid the ball across for D.J. Salmon to pound home.
The Prep put the game away early when Crooks rose to head in a free kick from Okafor just 1:06 into the second half. Stefan Corbosiero capped the scoring with 30 minutes left, benefitting from a
breathtaking one-touch through ball provided by Emerson Lawrence. Corbosiero, overlapping out of the midfield, slammed the ball past an onrushing goalkeeper. Okafor, the senior midfielder who just committed to Brown
University for next year, combined with the sophomore Lawrence to control the center of the field for The Pirates.
Matt O'Neil and Kevin Riley excelled again in front of goalie Matt Zielyk,
who had seven saves. The one ball that eluded Zielyk in the box was cleared spectacularly off the line by Riley midway through the second half to preserve The Prep's fourth consecutive shutout. [M.Berman]
5 SHP 1 - Columbia 1 [photos] After a scoreless first half, The Prep broke the ice seven minutes into the second
half. Jon Okafor lifted a free kick into the box that Matt O'Neil rose to head on towards the far post. Stefan Corbosiero chested the ball down for C.J. Crooks who collected it and punched home his 17th goal of the
season. Unfortunately Columbia equalized about 10 minutes later from a goalmouth scramble after a long throw-in.
The game remained tied through the rest of regulation
and two 10 minute overtime periods. Both teams had some excellent chances with Corbosiero being in the thick of it at both ends. One time he blocked a point-blank Cougar shot in the box to preserve the tie, and in the
waning moments of overtime he did well to turn and get off a shot in the Columbia box that just went over the bar.
The game lived up to its billing as a battle between two
teams ranked in the Star-Ledger Poll (The Prep at No. 5 and Columbia at No. 8). The tie leaves Seton Hall with a one-game lead over Columbia in the conference race. [M.Berman] 8 SHP 3 - MKA 0, Essex County Tournament [photos] The Prep scored only once in the first half when D.J. Salmon won a ball on the 18 and slipped it to Brain Maher who cut it across the box to Stefan Corbosiero. Seton Hall
scored midway through the second half when Matt O'Neil played a ball over the top to Greg DiGiovine, who got his first shot saved, but nailed in the rebound when it bounced back to his left foot. It was the sophomore's
first varsity goal and a perfect time to get it! The Prep put the nail in the coffin when D.J. scored off a through ball from Jon Okafor who played great in the midfield all game. [M.Berman] 10 SHP 6 - Morris Knolls 0 [photos]
C. J. Crooks exploded for three goals to reach 20 for the season. The junior striker opened the scoring after 9:17 of play. Taking a pass from Brian Maher, Crooks unleashed a 25-yard cannon that ate up the keeper. C. J. added his second goal when Jon Okafor lifted a beautiful ball over the defense and he beat the keeper to it to knock it into the vacated net. Okafor also set up the third goal of the first half when he sent D. J. Salmon in on the right side of the box. D.J. turned the ball past the onrushing goalie and Sean Duggan was alone at the far post to tap it home.
Stefan Corbosiero slotted a perfect through ball to set up Crooks' final goal just 3:16 into the second half. A few minutes later the starters were done, but the scoring
wasn't. Senior reserves Rob Russo and Jordan Schafer each added spectacular strikes to close out the rout. Russo took a pass from George Caiella on the left side and ripped a ball into the far side netting from a very
difficult angle. Schafer ran onto a L. J. Sakellaris one-touch pass and blasted a shot into the far side upper 90 from 16 yards out.
The lopsided score in the end was deceiving
as Morris Knolls pressured the entire contest. Goalkeeper Matt Zielyk was sharp throughout, steering The Prep to its sixth shutout in seven games.[M.Berman] 12 SHP 5 - East Orange 0 [photos] With a lofty No. 4 ranking in The Star-Ledger and an ECT semifinal looming Sunday
against West Essex at Millburn H.S. (12 noon), The Prep avoided looking ahead and took care of business against East Orange. C.J. Crooks opened the scoring 3:50 into the game, benefitting from D.J. Salmon heading on Jon
Okafor's pass into the box. Twelve minutes later Stefan Corbosiero took a feed from Okafor along the 18 and fired one home. With 19:01 left in the half, Emerson Lawrence, the sophomore who has emerged as a budding star
in the midfield, got his first varsity goal when he pounced on a rebound of a Salmon shot at the far post and slammed it home. The Prep got its fourth goal of the half when Crooks unselfishly set up Salmon on a
two-on-one break.
The reserves got to play the entire second half. Ian Douglas, called up from the j.v. for the day made the most of his opportunity, ripping in
a 20-yard shot after taking a pass from Will McKenna. L.J. Sakellaris, Matt Falk, Greg DiGiovine and Chris Nelson in the back, and Jordan Schafer in the midfield worked hard in front of goalie Gabe Gaggioni to maintain
the team's seventh shutout (third consecutive).[M.Berman]
15 Essex County Tournament Semi-Final SHP 4 - West Essex 1 - The Prep will be in the championship game of
the Essex County Tournament for only the second time in its history next Sunday at West Orange H.S. at 2:30, and the opponent will be West Orange, ranked No. 2 in the state in The Star-Ledger Poll. While the final score
read 4-1 over West Essex, the game was not without its drama.
West Essex actually scored in the opening minute of the game to put The Prep behind for the first time all year. Fortunately the
Pirates had a quick response. At the six-minute mark Jon Okafor, brilliant again in the midfield, took a pass from Sean Duggan and glided past three defenders on the left side into the box before cutting the ball back
for C.J. Crooks to finish from in front for the equalizer.
Eleven minutes later the Pirates electrified the crowd with a spectacular goal to take the lead. Blake Adams, back from a hamstring
injury that cost him three games, started the play by winning the ball in midfield and playing it ahead to Crooks. C.J. flicked the ball on to a sprinting D.J. Salmon, who flew down the right side to beat the West Essex
keeper to the ball. Salmon's initial shot was blocked, but he knocked in his own rebound for the decisive goal.
The Prep continued to apply pressure but was unable to put the game away until the
waning minutes. With 4:15 left in the game, Crooks took a pass from Blake Adams and broke into the box before cutting the ball across the face of the goal for Salmon to tuck home. Some two minutes later Salmon returned
the favor, taking a pass from Emerson Lawrence on the left side and then sliding one in front for Crooks to smash home for the exclamation point.
The victory established a new school record for
consecutive soccer games without a defeat (13) and raised the Prep's record to 12-0-1, the best start in school history.[M.Berman]
17 SHP 4 - Mt. Olive 0 On a day fit only for ducks The Prep got by Mt. Olive and stayed unbeaten. Jon Okafor got things started nine minutes into the match when he unleashed a 25-yard blast
into the net. Despite creating many opportunities, that was the only score of the opening half as the Pirates battled heavy wind and a constant driving rain, as well as an annoying Mt. Olive offsides trap.
The Prep solved the trap and the conditions for three goals in the first 18 minutes of the second half to put the game away. Brian Maher ran onto a C.J. Crooks pass and rifled in a 15-yard
angled shot just 1:20 into the second stanza. Six minutes later Blake Adams took a pass from Crooks and ripped one in. Maher capped the scoring after taking a pass from Okafor in the box. Maher and Adams, the two
outside midfielders, were the beneficaries as the Pirates found the seams to exploit in Mt. Olive's defense.
In an interesting twist, Matt O'Neil finished the game playing goalie for the first time in his career and made two clutch saves to preserve the shutout. 19 SHP 2 - West Morris 0 The
Prep outlasted a desperate West Morris team that needed a win to make the state tournament (cutoff is today). C.J. Crooks got the first goal midway through the first half when Matt O'Neil's serve over the top beat the
offsides trap and Crooks was able to get behind the defense and score his 24th goal. D. J. Salmon provided the crucial insurance goal early in the second half. Crooks started the play by serving a ball from the right
side of the box. Brian Maher rose at the far post to head the ball back across the face of the goal and Salmon tucked it home.
Kevin Riley made a huge play when he raced back to stifle a
clear West Morris breakaway. For the final 20 minutes reserve defenders Greg DiGiovine, Chris Nelson, Matt Falk, L.J. Sakellaris and Will McKenna played solidly to preserve the shutout, the team's ninth.
The best news: no injuries and we're healthy for the ECT final Sunday against West Orange.
22 Essex County Tournament Final: West Orange 4 - SHP 1 [photos] A weird game - a great game, but weird. We outshot them and created more quality chances, but still lost by a decisive margin. Moral victories don't count. You can't give
a great team two goals in the first five minutes and expect to win, and make no mistake about it, West Orange is a great team, worthy of their No. 2 ranking in the state. C.J. Crooks scored with 29 minutes left to cut
our deficit in half (off assists from both Adams brothers, Corey and Blake). We also had an earlier D.J. Salmon goal called back for offsides and Brian Maher had a shot saved off the line, and two other shots caught the
crossbar, but on this day it wasn't meant to be.
24 SHP 6 - Randolph 2 In our first game without C.J. Crooks, the junior striker who
went down in the County Final with a knee injury, we still showed that we have some firepower. On a very cold, windy night - Senior Night for Randolph - Stefan Corbosiero got things started in the 13th minute by turning
home a cross from D.J. Salmon. After Randolph drew even, Brian Maher, the left halfback, twice got behind the defense to gather in crosses from George Caiella, the right fullback, to score almost identical goals and
give us a 3-1 halftime cushion.
In the opening minute of the second half Corbosiero set up Salmon in front and D.J. was tripped from behind. Matt O'Neil knocked in the
ensuing penalty kick for his first varsity goal. Just three minutes later Kevin Riley left no doubt as to the outcome by heading in a Maher corner kick for a 5-1 lead. The reserves got to enjoy the final 30 minutes of
action and provided several more highlights. Gabe Gaggioni made on tremendous reaction save in net on a close-in header and Will McKenna added the final goal by heading in a free kick taken by Leo Rodio. The goal was
McKenna's first of his career. 26 SHP 4 - Roxbury 0
This one of our best games of the year, especially for our defenders. In addition to getting our 10th shutout, outside backs George Caiella and Corey Adams were constantly on the attack, overlapping down the flanks and giving Roxbury fits in the back. Our two centerbacks, Matt O'Neil and Kevin Riley, were not only rock solid as usual, but they also each contributed an assist.
O'Neil set up the game's first goal in the 24th minute when his ball over the top of the defense sent D. J. Salmon in on a breakaway. In the second half Riley set up Stefan Corbosiero
in the 60th minute. Corbosiero took Riley's pass in the box on the right side, turned his defender with a nifty cut and blasted in a 16-yard shot with his left foot to essentially put our opponent away.
Three minutes later Salmon scored again after taking a nice feed in front from Sean Duggan, who had artfully taken Brian Maher's cross and cut the ball back to D.J. Greg DiGiovine
capped the scoring with 10 minutes left after taking yet another pass from Duggan in front and emphatically blasting it home.
Matt Zielyk earned the shutout with steady play in the net, despite having to battle tough wind and sun glare throughout the second half. 29 SHP 0 - Columbia 0 (makeup)
31 SHP 6 - Morris Knolls 1
November
3 Pingry 1 - SHP 0 [photos] state tournament round 1 [many chances, none finished]
5 SHP 3 - Livingston 2 (2 OT) [photos] The win over Livingston stands as one of the most
dramatic comebacks in the annals of Seton Hall Prep soccer, especially the way it was accomplished. Livingston took a 2-0 lead with 35 minutes left, taking advantage of a Pirate defense still reeling from the loss of
Kevin Riley, who had his nose broken in the Pingry game. Two minutes after Livingston's second goal The Prep started its comeback when Matt O'Neil stormed the box to power home a header of a Jon Okafor corner kick.
Still, prospects looked especially bleak when Seton Hall suffered a red card and was down a man and a goal with under 15 minutes left. With only 8:14 showing on the clock Blake Adams dove at the
far post to head in a cross from Okafor to tie it. On the play Adams collided with the keeper and had to come off with a possible concussion.
The equalizer led to overtime and The Prep stayed
on the attack, despite being a man down and without the services of Adams. Early in the second overtime Livingston had a breakaway, but Gabe Gaggioni, the reserve goalkeeper, forced the attacker wide and saved the day.
Seton Hall took advantage of the reprieve by mounting yet another attack. Brian Maher found D.J. Salmon on the run down the left side, and D.J. took the ball and crossed it into the box. Sean Duggan, playing in Adams'
midfield spot, ran onto the cross and turned a spectacular left-footed volley inside the far post to end the game with a truly "golden goal".
The victory clinched at least a tie for
the Iron Hills Conference, Iron Division title, The Prep's fourth in six years, and left the Pirates with a 18-2-2 record with one game remaining, Wednesday at Livingston.
8 Livingston (make-up) 4 pm Away
Head Coach: Marty Berman |
