Early in overtime in a game last week at Freehold High School, Joe Lozowski lined up for a corner kick.
The Christian Brothers Academy boys’ soccer player floated the ball into the box. Teammate Jack Gill raced in and chested it into the upper right corner of the net, clinching a 2-1 victory for CBA.
It was the Colts’ toughest victory of 2018. That victory at Freehold on Sept. 26 improved CBA’s record to 8-1 and marked the first overtime game of the season.
The only loss suffered by CBA this fall was a 3-0 setback to Saint Benedict’s Preparatory School, the nation power out of Newark.
Freehold entered the game with a 1-2 record in Shore Conference A North Division play, while CBA came into that matchup in first place in the A North with a 3-0 division record.
“High school sports is about a group of kids playing against another group of kids. On any given day, on any field, in any conditions, anything can happen. That’s what makes it exciting,” said CBA coach Tom Mulligan. “It’s about a group of kids coming together and playing for each other. Freehold stepped up and gave us a great challenge today.”
Freehold Borough hung tough and played well, but CBA still controlled the contest. The Colts kept the ball on the Colonials’ side for a majority of the game. They also launched eight shots on goal to Freehold’s two.
Christian Brothers finally broke a 0-0 tie midway through the second half, when Lozowski scored off an assist from Gill. Mulligan’s team looked to have the game in hand. But with less than 10 minutes to play, Freehold’s Cameron Elslager tapped the ball in to tie the game.
The Colonials went wild on the field. Freehold could smell an upset.
But the Colts kept up their intensity and controlled the overtime period. Then, they also finished it after only a few minutes.
“It was a tough game. We weren’t expecting to go to overtime,” Lozowski said. “It wasn’t our best game. We just had to win 50-50 balls and get a result.”
There are games like that in any season. The great teams find ways to pull them out. CBA showed it can be great on Sept. 26.
The victory was CBA’s fifth in a row. In their eight triumphs this year, the Colts have outscored opponents, 26-6.
With six regular season games left, CBA is a game up on Freehold Township High School for first-place in the A North Division.
Mulligan’s team has shown balance on both sides of the field, without a clear weakness. Ten players have scored and nine have registered an assist. Goalkeepers Eric Wnorowski and Vin Sobal have not allowed more than one goal in any of CBA’s victories, including two shutouts.
To win trophies this year, the Colts just have to keep getting better.
“We have to take it game by game. We can’t be looking too far into the future,” Gill said. “In the A North you can’t look past anybody. We learned that today (against Freehold). We just have to keep grinding away and getting those wins.”
