SOCCER
September [re-caps by Coach Berman]
7 SHP 5 - Morristown 0 [photos] We opened at home in stunning fashion with a five goal first half outburst against
a highly-regarded Morristown team. C.J. Crooks, our returning all-state striker showed that he was recovered from the knee surgery that ended his junior season prematurely by scoring twice and having a hand in the other
three goals as well.
Emerson Lawrence (junior center midfielder) started the scoring four minutes in when he headed home a cross from Crooks at the far post. Fifteen minutes later C.J. fed
Sean Duggan (senior striker) and Sean beat his defender along the goal line before slotting the ball across for Leo Rodio (junior midfielder) to knock home. With 11:35 left in the half Rodio artfully played a ball over
the last defender and Crooks beat the goalie to it to flick it into the vacated net. Less than a minute later Duggan sent C.J. in on another breakaway to make it 4-0. Late in the first half Corey Adams, our senior
centerback, got his first varsity goal when he rose at the far post to head in a free kick taken by Crooks.
Gabe Gaggioni, the senior earned the shutout with two spectacular
full-extension leaping saves on balls ticketed for the upper corner of the net.
10
SHP 1 - Columbia 0 [photos] In an early season matchup of state powers, The Prep gained the upper hand in the Iron Hills Conference, Iron Division race with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Columbia
at Cameron Field in South Orange. Corey Adams scored the game's only goal 12:40 into the second half when he dove to head home a corner kick by Brian Maher at the far post. We had several other chances to score, but
were denied by excellent defensive plays. While we could have won 3-0, we were fortunate to get away with the win as Columbia created two great chances in the final five minutes that just missed. The defense of Adams,
Greg DiGiovine, Matt Falk, Chris Nelson and Will McKenna was particularly impressive along with the midfield play of Maher, Emerson Lawrence and George Caiella.
12 SHP 5 - Morris Knolls 0
[photos] C.J. Crooks scored twice and Sean Duggan and Brian Maher each got their first goals of the year as the Pirates rolled to a tidy 4-0 victory. Duggan opened the scoring
eight minutes in, heading home a cross from George Caiella. Sean then beat two defenders in the box to set up Maher's short blast that made it 2-0 at halftime.
Crooks got both his goals in
the first 15 minutes of the second half. The first one came off a cross from Chris Nelson, who overlapped from his leftback position. Caiellas then stormed the box leaving three defenders in his wake before serving a
ball for C.J. to run onto in the goal mouth. The reserves then played the final 25 minutes with L.J. Sakellaris, Casey Doyle and Jeewan Budhu enjoying fine performances as The Prep extended its shutout streak to three.
18 SHP 8 - East Orange Campus 0- [photos] George Caiella and L.J. Sakellaris, two seniors, and sophomore Anthony Corbosiero
notched their first varsity goals as The Prep cruised to an 8-0 victory. Caiella, the workhorse midfielder, set up the first two goals of the match (by C.J. Crooks and Emerson Lawrence) in the first nine minutes. He
then took a nifty feed from Casey Doyle and neatly placed a 16-yard shot for his own score. Crooks finished with two goals and an assist, Lawrence a goal and two assists and Sean Duggan a goal and an assist as The Prep
went up 5-0 with 35 minutes left before clearing the bench. Corbosiero scored twice in the final 10 minutes sandwiched around a beautiful through ball that he gave Sakellaris for a breakaway
20 SHP 4 - Mt. Olive 0 [photos] The Prep came into the game ranked No. 2 in The Star-Ledger Poll - our highest ranking ever - and we lived up to it by fashioning a 4-0 win. Five minutes into the
contest Emerson Lawrence fed Sean Duggan who slipped a perfect through ball for C.J. Crooks to run onto for the first goal. Midway through the half Leo Rodio tacked on a second goal with a long shot from the right flank
that got over the keeper.
In the first five minutes of the second half we put the game away with two of the prettiest goals fans will ever see. First Crooks sent Brian Maher in on the
left side. Brian's blast caught the inside of the post and caromed towards the corner. Rodio ran the ball down and deftly fed it back to an onrushing Crooks for the goal. One minute later Crooks sent Rodio in on the
right side. Leo got to the goal line and cut the ball back to a cutting Duggan at the near post. Instead of shooting, Sean touched the ball on to Lawrence running through the box for a breathtaking combination and the
fourth goal.
Led by the steady defensive efforts of Corey Adams, Greg DiGiovine, Matt Falk and Chris Nelson, The Prep challked up its fifth straight shutout
24 SHP 3 - West Morris 0 [photos] In a workmanlike performance The Prep earned its sixth straight victory and sixth straight shutout, 3-0. The only goal of the first half was a bit of luck as Corey
Adams' long free kick was headed by a West Morris defender into his own goal. Sean Duggan shook free of tight marking for two goals in the second half to put the contest away. First Sean took an artful through ball from
Emerson Lawrence in front of the goal and slammed one into the upper corner. Then Chris Nelson worked hard to find Duggan with a through ball and Sean slid it past the keeper with 13 minutes left.
The Prep earned the top seed in this year's Essex County Tournament and will host either Bloomfield or North 13th Street Tech on Sunday at 2 p.m. The six consecutive shutouts is a school
record to start the season.
26 SHP 3 - Randolph 1 The Prep survived - and passed - a major test on the road. The game provided two firsts: first goal conceded and first deficit. A rare defensive miscue led to Randolph
scoring 23 minutes into the game, breaking The Prep's record-setting shutout streak at 503 minutes (six-plus games). Fortunately, there was an immediate answer to that strike when two minutes later Corey Adams took a
long free kick and Sean Duggan rose to head it on to midfielder Leo Rodio who placed it inside the far post. · The score was still tied midway into the second half when another combination of headers
produced our second goal. Adams again took a long free kick with Jeewan Budhu winning the initial header, nodding it on to Duggan who headed it on to C.J. Crooks charging into the box, and C.J. made no mistake slotting
home his ninth goal of the season. With 13:15 left Duggan tacked on an insurance marker, heading in a cross from Rodio.
28
SHP 3 - Roxbury 0- Playing for the first time ever as the No. 1 team in The Star-Ledger Poll, The Prep
rode two goals by C.J. Crooks to a 3-0 win. Sean Duggan created the first goal in the 11th minute when he took a pass from Brian Maher, beat his defender to the goal line on the left side and found Crooks cutting at the
near post. Fourteen minutes later Crooks received a long cross from Duggan and acrobatically rose to flick the ball past the startled goalie. With five minutes left in the half, L.J. Sakellaris put the game
away with a spectacular 40-yard drive that caught the underside of the crossbar and went in. Paced by the typical strong midfield play of George Caiella and Emerson Lawrence and the steady play of Corey Adams and Greg
DiGiovine on the back line, The Prep cruised to its eighth shutout in nine games.
30
Essex County Tournament SHP 7 - Newark 13th St. Tech 0 [photos] The Prep, the top seed, opened its bid for its first Essex
County Tournament crown ith a convincing 7-0 victory at home. C.J. Crooks added three goals to his total (14), including one stunning blast that left onlookers speechless. Sean Duggan continued his productive ways with
a goal and two assists, one of which set up Brian Maher for the game's first score on a nifty give-and-go in the eighth minute. Emerson Lawrence set up two goals as well, one being Casey Doyle's first varsity goal, a
screamer from the left side. Anthony Corbosiero capped the scoring when he hooked a corner kick directly in for the second time this year. Leo Rodio and George Caiella also had assists, while Will McKenna stood out for
his play on the back line. Sebastian Aguirre and Gabe Gaggioni shared the shutout, the team's ninth.
October
2 SHP 7 - Livingston 0
George Caiella, the senior center midfielder, exploded for three goals and two assists to lead The Prep over a Livingston team depleted with injuries, 7-0.
Caiella created the first goal in the second minute of play, taking a pass from Sean Duggan and bursting down the right side into the box
before laying a ball across the face of the goal for Brian Maher to stuff home. George added the second goal on a brilliant solo effort midway through the first half, beating several defenders along the right side of
the box before slipping the ball inside the near post. Before the first half was over, Maher would send Duggan in alone on the left side for a goal, and Caiella would be taken down for a penalty kick, which he converted
In the second half Maher worked some magic along the left sideline before playing a low cross into the box. Duggan flicked the ball onto the far post where Caiella hustled to bury it for his
hat trick. Casey Doyle closed out the scoring when his long throw-in eluded the Lancer keeper and went in off his finger tips.
4 SHP 2 - Morristown 0 [photos 2 games ] A 25 second two goal explosion in the 27th minute carried The Prep past Morristown, 2-0. With 13:45 left in the opening half, Corey Adams touched an indirect free kick to
C.J. Crooks and Crooks blasted it home from 25 yards out. Before our opponent could recover, Emerson Lawrence played a beautiful long through ball down the left flank that Brian Maher raced onto behind the defense, beat
the keeper's tackle and tucked it into the vacated net for a stunning 2-0 lead. Gabe Gaggioni earned his 10th shutout, making seven saves, including one spectacular full-extension denial of a rocket ticketed for the
upper corner. The Prep also received stellar play from several reserves. Will McKenna, Egidio Carlino, Jeewan Budhu and Casey Doyle all made crucial contributions in a difficult game on a hot, muggy day.
7 Essex County Tournament SHP 3 - W. Orange 0
[photos]
Center midfielders Emerson Lawrence and George Caiella combined for all the goals as The Prep eased past cross-town rival West Orange, 3-0, Sunday in the quarterfinals of the Essex County Tournament. "Emmo" opened the scoring midway through the first half when he took a pass from L.J. Sakellaris in the center of the field and let fly with a 40-yard bomb that caught the corner of the net. The Prep came out flying in the second half and quickly put the game out of reach. Five minutes, in Lawrence received a pass from Brian Maher in the box and was taken down from behind. Emmo then buried the ensuing penalty kick for a 2-0 lead. Just 4:30 later Caiella took a nifty feed from Sean Duggan in the corner of the box and uncorked an angled blast that nestled into the farside upper 90. While West Orange was held at bay most of the contest, there was one clear breakaway at the end of the half that Corey Adams and Greg DiGiovine raced back to thwart, with Adams clearing the ball from the goalmouth. The Prep will meet arch-rival Columbia next Sunday at West Essex in the semi-final.
9 Columbia ppd rain
11 Morris Knolls ppd rain
14 Essex County Tournament- Columbia 3 - SHP 0 [photos]
17 SHP 8 - East Orange 0 Egidio Carlino (two), Will McKenna, Ian Douglas, Paul Ruiz and Pat Clancy all scored their first goals of the year as The Prep cruised past East Orange, 8-0. George
Caiella and Corey Adams also scored while Jeewan Budhu had three assists, Casey Doyle had two, and McKenna, Carlino, Brian Maher and Anthony Corbosiero added one each. The shutout, shared by Gabe Gaggioni and Sebastian
Aguirre, was the team's 12th of the year.
19 Mt. Olive H 4:00 PPD- To be re-scheduled
21 SHP 3 - Morris Knolls 0
In a tidy 3-0 win, The Prep improved to 14-1 and tied the school record for shutouts in a season at 13 in a make-up of a rainout game. C.J. Crooks opened the scoring in the 13th minute running onto a George Caiella cross at the near post and finishing for his 16th goal. Caiella had taken a pass from Emerson Lawrence and beaten his man to the goal line before cutting it back.
In the 48th minute Sean Duggan gave Seton Hall some breathing room by scoring on a diving header off Casey Doyle's cross. Lawrence had again started the play by feeding Doyle on the right flank.
Doyle picked up his second assist in the 57th minute when his long throw-in carried to the far post where Anthony Corbosiero arrived to volley it home. Goalie Gabe Gaggioni earned the shutout with six saves, including
one in the first half in which, despite being screened, he dove to smother a shot that came from a scramble in the box and was ticketed for the corner. Chris Nelson preserved the shutout in the second half,
clearing a shot off the line after another scramble.
23 SHP 4 - West Morris 1
Brian Maher and Sean Duggan had a goal and an assist each to pace The Prep to a 4-1 win on the road. The victory, coupled with Columbia's
defeat at Morristown, left us with a two game lead in the conference race with five games remaining.
Leo Rodio opened the scoring midway through the first half with a determined effort.
Duggan had redirected an Emerson Lawrence cross into the box and Rodio hustled onto it, using a slide to wrest the ball away from the sliding keeper. Leo then popped up and slammed the ball home. Prior to that West
Morris had created several dangerous chances, hitting the post once and having a certain goal thwarted by Matt Falk, who turned a ball off the line with a tremendous effort. With 3:07 left in the opening stanza, Corey
Adams padded the lead by heading in a cross from Maher.
Duggan made it 3-0 10 minutes into the second half when he got loose on a breakaway after a Greg DiGiovine clearance eluded their
defenders. Duggan deftly volleyed the ball over the onrushing keeper from 25 yards out. West Morris broke through for a score with 19 minutes left, but Anthony Corbosiero came up with a little bit of magic to salt the
game away with 8:33 left. "Corbs" slyly slipped behind the defense to steal a throw-in from Casey Doyle. He then carried to the goal line before setting up a streaking Maher for an open net finish
25 SHP 7 - Randolph 0
After a sluggish opening stanza, The Prep exploded for six goals in the second half en route to a 7-0 defeat of Randolph. The shutout was the team's 14th of the seaon, breaking the record of 13 established by the 2005
squad.
Corey Adams, the leader of the defense, actually scored the game's first goal in the eighth minute, heading in a free kick from C.J. Crooks. The score stood at 1-0 until the
seventh minute of the second half. Leo Rodio added the insurance tally on a penalty kick after he was taken down running onto a beautiful through ball from George Caiella. Eight minutes later Crooks headed in a corner
kick from Sean Duggan and the rout was on. Barely a minute elapsed before Crooks sent Duggan in on a breakaway and Sean set Brian Maher up with an open net. Duggan got his own goal shortly after when he dove to head in
the rebound of L.J. Sakellaris' shot that caught the crossbar. Paul Ruiz then slipped a goal into the corner of the net after being set up by Caiella, and Matt Falk capped the scoring spree by running onto a cross from
Casey Doyle and smacking home his first varsity goal.
Coupled with Columbia's tie with Morris Knolls, The Prep now has a two-and-a-half game lead in the conference with four games to
play.
29 SHP 3 - Livingston 1 [photos] The Prep scored three beautiful goals two by Sean Duggan to defeat Livingston and move within one win of clinching its
fifth conference championship in seven years.
Leo Rodio opened the scoring with 7:50 remaining in the first half. The play was initiated by goalie Gabe Gaggioni who grabbed a Livingston
corner kick and alertly distributed the ball to Rodio on the run near midfield. Leo passed ahead to George Caiella, who combined on a give-and-go pass with Duggan to break into the box. Caiella's shot was saved, but a
hustling Rodio arrived on the scene to scoop up the rebound and artfully slip it into the vacant net.
Ten minutes into the second half Duggan ran onto a cross from Will McKenna, leaped in
front of the opposing keeper and flicked it by him for the second goal. With 21:22 remaining Corey Adams gathered a ball in the box after a free kick, tricked his way to the goal line and lofted a cross past the far
post. Duggan raced in and scored a spectacular goal with a full extension diving header. The Prep did conceded just its third league goal late in the match, but the victory left it with a 17-1 record overall and a
perfect 15-0 in the Iron Hills Conference, Iron Division. The Pirates have a two-and-a-half game lead with three conference games left to play. 30 SHP 7 - Mt. Olive 0 The Prep eased by Mt. Olive, 7-0, yesterday, running its league record
to 16-0 and clinching the school's fifth Iron Hills Conference, Iron Division, soccer crown in the last seven years.
George Caiella scored the first goal in the 12th minute, hustling onto a rebound
of a C.J. Crooks shot. Sean Duggan added the next two goals, finishing off goalmouth feeds from Emerson Lawrence and Caiella. Crooks got on the board with a diving header of a Casey Doyle cross for his team-leading 18th
goal. (Duggan now has 15.) Jeewan Budhu notched his first varsity goal, heading in a cross from Brian Maher. Defender Pat Clancy had a long blast find the side netting for the sixth goal and Anthony Corbosiero capped
the scoring with a left-footed blast after he deftly dribbled through the heart of the Mt. Olive defense.
The Prep hosts Morris Catholic Friday at 2 p.m. in the first round of the North Jersey, Non-Public A state tournament. 31 Roxbury cancelled
NOVEMBER
2 NJSIAA Tournament opening round vs Morris Catholic
SHP 5 - Morris Catholic 2 C.J. Crooks exploded for three goals in the first 19 minutes in leading The Prep past Morris Catholic, 5-2, in the North Jersey, Non-Public A state tournament.
Crooks, who missed last year's state tournament with a season-ending knee injury that required major surgery, looked like he was making up for lost time.
In the fourth minute
Crooks ran onto a through ball from Brian Maher and beat the onrushing keeper to it and flicked the ball home. Six minutes later Corey Adams made a run out of the back and was taken down in the box. Crooks took the
ensuing penalty kick, had it saved but finished his own rebound. Sean Duggan and Emerson Lawrence combined to set up Crooks at the top of the box in the 19th
minute, and he burst past defenders and the keeper to score from a severe angle.
Morris Catholic scored twice in the final 10 minutes of the half, and the second
half was a tense 3-2 struggle until Adams rose to head home a Duggan corner kick with 13:41 remaining. In the final minutes L.J. Sakellaris hustled onto a Duggan pass in the box, powered through the keeper, and
then cut the ball back for Lawrence to blast home for the final tally. The Prep improved to 19-1 and now travels to Ramsey Tuesday afternoon (2 p.m. start) to face Don Bosco Prep, which is 21-0 and ranked No. 1 in
The Star-Ledger Poll 4 Columbia postponement CANCELLED
6 STATE PLAYOFFS: SHP 3 - Don Bosco 2 [photos]
In a tremendous team effort The Prep stunned Don Bosco, 3-2, in the North Jersey, Non-Public A semifinals in Ramsey. Don Bosco had been 23-0 and ranked No. 1 in The Star-Ledger Poll going into the game.
Sean Duggan opened the scoring with ten minutes into the match when he ran onto a perfect pass from C. J. Crooks and buried a 12-yard drive. The lead was shortlived, however, as Don Bosco
scored just two minutes later. Brian Maher put The Prep back on top with 4:13 remaining in the half when he took another beautiful pass from Crooks down the left flank and blasted a 25-yard volley into the far side
netting from an extreme angle.
With 9:32 left in the game, George Caiella took off on one of his patented 40-yard runs down the right side, entered the box along the goalline and then
alertly cut the ball back for his fellow centermidfielder, Emerson Lawrence, to knock home from 10 yards out. Lawrence's insurance tally became that much more important when Don Bosco scored again with five
minutes left.The Prep stood its ground, however, under intense pressure in those final minutes and held on for the win.
The victory left Seton Hall Prep with a 20-1 record (tying the
2001 mark for most victories). The Prep now plays in the North Jersey, Non-Public A final Thursday night at 7 p.m. against Delbarton at Passaic County Tech. 8 STATE PLAYOFFS: No. Jersey Final SHP 3 - Delbarton 2 [photos] Playing before an exceptionally large crowd in an electric atmosphere for
high school soccer, The Prep held off Delbarton, 3-2, in a tense and exciting North Jersey, Non-Public A final under the lights at Passaic Tech. The game lived up to its billing as The Pirates knocked off the No. 1 team
in The Star-Ledger Poll for the second straight game in the state tournament. Seton Hall now advances to its second state final in three years, facing Christian Brothers Academy Tuesday night at 6 p.m. at The College of
New Jersey.
The Pirates opened the scoring with 24:34 left in the first half when C.J. Crooks got inside his defender inside the box and was grabbed from behind. C.J. buried the ensuing
penalty kick. Exactly one minute later it was 2-0. Leo Rodio started the play on the right side, dribbling across the 18 before unleashing a left-footed shot that was deflected into the left side of the box. Brian Maher
collected the ball there and fed one in front for nSean Duggan to knock home.
The Pirates tacked on a third goal 11 minutes into the second half. A free kick was cleared and Delbarton
appeared to break out in transition, but Rodio managed to just win the loose ball and toe poke it back to Greg DiGiovine. Greg one-timed a 30-yard left-footed blast that caught the underside of the crossbar and Duggan
raced in to head home the rebound.
To their credit Delbarton responded with two goals in the next nine minutes and the final 20 minutes of the match saw The Prep having to defend a
series of long serves as the Morris County school mounted intense pressure. The defense, led by Corey Adams, DiGiovine, Chris Nelson, Matt Falk, Will McKenna and goalie Gabe Gaggioni withstood the barrage, however,
giving The Prep an impressive follow-up to its 3-2 victory over then undefeated and top-ranked Don Bosco two days before. The victories left SHP at 21-1, the best soccer record in school history.
16
STATE FINALS: SHP 2 - CBA 0 @ The College of New Jersey [photos] Seton Hall Prep won its first New Jersey State Non-Public A soccer title,
defeating CBA, 2-0, behind two goals from all-state senior striker C. J. Crooks. The victory capped an historic 22-1 season that included records for most wins, shutouts (16) and goals (95). It also capped an
unbelievable run through the state tournament that included wins over Morris Catholic (ranked 10th at the time) and Don Bosco Prep and Delbarton, both of whom were ranked No. 1 in The Star-Ledger Poll on the day of
those games. The Prep is now in line to garner its first Star-Ledger Trophy as the state's best soccer team.
The Pirates, bolstered by a large, spirited fan base, broke through with
21:26 remaining in the first half. Will McKenna, who had just come into the game as a wing fullback, overlapped on the right flank and lofted a cross over the keeper towards the far post. As the goalie reached up and
back, Crooks was able to leap up and head the ball from his outstretched fingers into the net.
Midway through the second half The Prep struck again. Senior Goalkeeper Gabe Gaggioni punched
out a serve and Brian Maher collected the loose ball on the left side of the box. Maher then alertly found Crooks in transition with a perfectly paced long pass down the left flank. C.J. was able to beat the last
defender to the ball and raced in alone on a breakaway which he buried for his 24th goal.
Senior Corey Adams again led the defensive efforts on the back line where he was joined by seniors
L.J. Sakellaris and Will McKenna (both of whom filled in ably for the injured junior Matt Falk) and juniors Greg DiGiovine and Chris Nelson. That group enabled Gaggioni to finish the game without having to face an
official shot on net. Senior George Caiella combined with junior Emerson Lawrence to control the center of the midfield while seniors Brian Maher and Egidio Carlino and junior Leo Rodio played the flanks. Senior Sean
Duggan, playing with Crooks up top, made his usual impact all over the field.
The remainder of the Varsity, all of whom made significant contributions throughout the season, consisted of
sophomores Anthony Corbosiero and Sebastian Aguirre, and juniors Casey Doyle, Jay Budhu, Pat Clancy, Ian Douglas and Paul Ruiz. [video] Head Coach: Marty Berman |
