by Amaris Devanesan and Hazel Mamania (‘24)
The Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) is a renowned and highly competitive sports conference that showcases the talent and dedication of student-athletes across Middlesex County. Within this dynamic sporting arena, the South Brunswick boys' soccer team carved a remarkable path to the finals. Before their face-off against the Monroe Falcons in the championship showdown, they confronted formidable competition in the semi-finals. In a defining match, they overcame South River with a convincing 2-0 victory, setting the stage for a thrilling finals showdown. With yellow cards (warnings for poor sportsmanship) galore, the GMC’s soccer finals was a rollercoaster of events. After an uneventful first half of the game, South Brunswick received a penalty kick nine minutes into the second quarter. Junior Aiden Chang, number 10, made the goal; however, the referee called a false start, making the Vikings kick again. Thankfully, Chang was able to score again without a problem. Unexpectedly, Monroe’s Joe Ishemi scored a free kick with less than ten minutes left, evening out the playing field. Ending with a 1-1 tie, the two teams had to go into overtime with a penalty kick shoot out. Both South Brunswick and Monroe missed their first two shots, raising the importance and intensity of the next few goals. Monroe’s goalie was able to block two of the Vikings’ shots, bringing the score to 2-1.The score advanced to 3-3 after Logan Rodgers successfully blocked one of Monroe's shots, but the Vikings ultimately met their demise after another missed shot and a final goal from Monroe. The final score was 5-4 in penalty kicks, and Monroe’s team finally redeemed itself after last year’s loss at the finals. Even though the Vikings did not win, players juniors Chris Gerbevac and Aiden Chang, along with senior Akshat Gupta, were chosen for the GMC All-Red division. Not only that, but Coach Chris Hayston was named GMC Boys’ Soccer Coach of the Year.
As the final whistle echoes, South Brunswick's soccer team remains committed to its pursuit of excellence.This remarkable journey is a testament to their dedication, sportsmanship, and the spirit of competition in the GMC.
I can't help but think that the Vikings were victimized by bad officiating: there were four red cards and nineteen (!) yellow cards in the game--and one of the red cards allowed the Falcons to equalize when the Vikings had been in complete control. Of course, notwithstanding all, the Vikings played hard until the final whistle. The game goes into the record books as a draw but only one team got to celebrate, alas.