The Spartans Celebrate their overtime victory against Brick Township
By Rich Fisher
Fish4scores.com
Nov. 4: The glory of yesteryear is slowly returning to the Steinert High girls’ soccer program.
After Michaela Miranda’s golden goal with 4:25 left in the first overtime gave 2nd-seeded Steinert a 4-3 win over 7th-seeded Brick Township on Friday in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III quarterfinals, it provided the Spartans their first sectional semifinal berth in six years.
It also raised the Spartans record to 18-2. The 18 wins are Steinert’s most since the 2007 CJ IV champion finished 20-3-1; and represent one more than the Spartans amassed in the previous two seasons combined.
“The last couple years we were kind of young and inexperienced,” coach Mike “Stinger” Hastings said. “This year, some older girls that are experienced have improved. They keep working and they’ve done everything we asked. This is what they deserve, because they’ve worked.”
They have worked their way into a Tuesday semifinal match against third-seeded Moorestown, a 1-0 quarterfinal winner over Ocean Township. Steinert’s last trip to the semis was a 2-0 loss to East Brunswick in 2010, and its last semifinal win was over Hunterdon Central in ’07.
Aidan Sheehan slips a pass over to Miranda. Photo by Amanda “The Homeowner” Ruch
Michaela Miranda knocks in a pass from Sheehan for the game-winning goal in overtime. Photo by Amanda “The Homeowner” Ruch
“It’s been a nice kind of change from the last couple years,” junior Giana Pittaro said. “Everybody is gelling together. Our defense has been playing incredible and really stepped it up at the end of the game today. Everyone was kind of working together as a unit. Everyone who came onto the field and was out there did a very good job.”
Pittaro certainly did hers, scoring two goals to lift her team-leading total to 18. And the Spartans needed every one as Brick Township (12-8-1) had two dangerous scorers in junior Kendall Stadelberger (19 goals) and senior Casey Palmer (14).
The Dragons took leads of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 but Steinert battled back every time. Brick was the second team, along with Hopewell, to score three goals against the Spartans this season.
“They put three up and we let up 10 all year before today,” Hastings said. “That shows you the offensive firepower that team has. They’re a battle-tested team, a Shore Conference team. You knew they were going to be good.
“They had dangerous players. Number two (Stadelberger) is dangerous and number thirteen (Casey Palmer) was phenomenal. They gave us fits all day.”
Palmer started early, giving the Dragons a 1-0 lead 4:07 into the match. Pittaro came back 45 seconds later with a perfect headball off a perfect corner kick from Lynzie Morgan. Palmer responded with a goal off a tremendous individual effort, but Miranda set up the tying goal when she played a ball wide to Emily Gulsby on the right flank, which Gulsby shot off the crossbar and into the back of the net.
Brick took yet another lead on a long shot by Stadelberger, giving the Dragons a 3-2 halftime advantage.
Gianna Pittaro works the ball against Brick Township. Photo by Amanda “The Homeowner” Ruch
The Spartans began to dominate possession in the second half and Pittaro had a shot saved by goalie Rylee Wernoch as she leaned back to catch it before it went over the line. Wernoch followed with a diving save off a free kick but Steinert finally got the equalizer when Pittaro converted Sheehan’s corner kick.
By that time, Steinert had somewhat neutralized Stadelberger and Palmer.
“We did do some switching,” Hastings said. “They had (Stadelberger) out on the left side. Usually Cassidy Wood plays left, we switched her over because she’s a little quicker and we switched Kelsey Espenhorst out. Then they put her high in the middle so we slid Cassidy into the middle. There’s a little gamesmanship going on, a chess match, and luckily it went in our favor.”
Espenhorst initiated the winning goal when she sent a ball into the box that Sheehan quickly ran on to. The senior showed her veteran wiles in the next few seconds. Rather than excitedly try to blast one into the net, she noticed Wernoch sliding over to defend her shot, so she crossed it to Miranda, who was scant feet from an open goal. Miranda calmly converted to start the celebration.
“I’ve gotta give credit to our girls,” Hastings said. “You get down, you come back. You get down, you come back again. That’s what the state tournament is all about. Just wanting it more, digging deep. I thought we did that well enough today to get a win.”
It’s been quite a roll for the Spartans, interrupted by a loss to Notre Dame in the Mercer County Tournament quarterfinals.
“That’s a little bit of a point of motivation, not to let that happen again, not to get knocked out of a tournament,” Hastings said. “It’s a win-or-go-home kind of mentality. We’ve already felt it on that end, we don’t want to feel it again.”
Miranda hopes the ride has a few more stops along the way.
Cassidy Wood (18) & Pittaro (7) try to block shot on goal. Photo by Amanda “The Homeowner” Ruch
“This is really indescribable,” said the junior, who speaks with the same infectious, excited tone as big sister Stephanie. “It’s such a team effort, we’re so close and we just want it so bad.
“We are really confident. We just have to take that confidence to the next game.”
As they continue to march ahead to the glory of yesteryear.
Ninth-seeded Nottingham’s season came to an end with a 6-0 loss at top-seeded Wall. The Northstars played the Crimson Knights extremely tough in the first half, before the home team scored twice in the final two minutes. The momentum carried over into the second half.
The loss could not detract from a strong first season for Nottingham under first-year coach Christie “Fish” Fink, who breathed new life into the program. The Northstars finished 6-13, including a 1-0 win over Pemberton in the CJ III first round.
That marked the most wins for Nottingham since 2012, which is also the last time it won a state tournament game. The Northstars return nearly everyone next season.
