Conger's late goal writes fitting end to barn-burner in Coaches semifinal
CHERRY HILL – The game deserved a picturesque goal.
Matt Conger didn't actually provide it.
“I didn't quite get the strike I wanted,” Shawnee's senior forward said. “But it went in. That's all we needed. I was just so excited, I had to go to the corner.”
That's where he was mobbed by his teammates. Conger's goal, with 4:44 remaining, lifted Shawnee, the No. 1 team in the South Jersey Mean 15, past No. 2 Rancocas Valley, 4-3, in Wednesday night's South Jersey Coaches Association Tournament semifinal.
It came after Rancocas Valley battled back from a two-goal deficit. Aiden Santamaria and Sean McFadden scored first-half goals for Shawnee. The Red Devils answered with a 30-yard laser from Owen Sugra into the bottom right corner in the 51st minute, but Santamaria added his second just two minutes later, and Shawnee's lead was 3-1.
“On the first goal, basically, I was in the front, in the box, and I saw the ball was going to go over my teammate's head, and no one was marking me, so I just went back post. It fell to me and I scored,” Santamaria said. “On my second goal, we won the ball back in a good spot and I was just wide open. I took a kid 1-v-1 and scored.”
Rancocas Valley drew level with Eddy Rivera's leaping finish on a cross by Jake Barletta, and then Scott Sweeney's 20-yarder into the upper left corner with 5:53 left.
But that wasn't the final word. McFadden made a run up the right side just a minute later and found just enough space to launch a right-footed shot at Brady Barletta. The Red Devils' senior keeper dived to get his palms on it, but it bounced high off the turf and right into Conger's path.
“There was just no way I was going to miss,” Conger said. “I didn't think I shanked it. From what I saw, it didn't go great, but I read where the goalie was, so I was completely fine.”
What it means
Finally, a team didn't faint dead away at being christened No. 1 in South Jersey. Shawnee will hold onto that distinction at least until Saturday, when it faces the winner of Thursday's West Deptford at Haddon Township game in the tournament final.
Key play
Not just Conger's goal, but the moment leading up to it. Just one minute, nine seconds had passed since Rancocas Valley tied the game. How often do you see a team concede a late equalizer and then be unable to shift gears and get back on the attack? Somehow, the Renegades did it.
“We preach and we talk about momentum after a goal,” Shawnee coach Ryan Franks said. “Who's going to take it and how do you respond to adversity. We've just played so many tough teams over the last couple of weeks; from these guys now twice, to (Cherry Hill) West, Hammonton, Cherokee – these are great games to see what you're about and see what your character is, and I think our guys have proven to me and hopefully proven to themselves that they're not going to back down from any challenges.”
By the numbers
Shawnee will make its first finals appearance since 2006, when the Renegades won soccer's “triple crown;” a division title, the coaches tournament and the state tournament – on the way to a 27-0 campaign. The Renegades' opponent in the final that season was Rancocas Valley. … The Shawnee girls advanced earlier with a 2-0 win over Cherry Hill West, setting the school up to capture both the boys and girls tournaments – only Shawnee has achieved that particular feat, and only once, in 2003. Rancocas Valley has conceded just nine goals in 16 games this season, but Shawnee has scored six of them.
They said it
Franks, on his team's response to losing the lead:
“It seems like we can't win games unless we're right down to the wire and scoring late. I thought maybe we'd get one with less drama, but what a credit to RV. Those kids just didn't stop fighting. They didn't give up and they just battled their butts off in this game. It's why this tournament is fun; you come out and get a taste of what the playoffs are like, against a good team.”
Conger, on reaching the finals:
“It's been a while, obviously, and a lot of people were down on us – doubting how good we're going to be this year. I think we've proven a lot of people wrong and it feels great.”
Rancocas Valley coach Damon Petras:
“We haven't given up four goals all season, so kudos to Shawnee. I wish we were playing on our home field, like Haddon Township is (Thursday), but that's the equity of soccer, I guess. Good job by Shawnee. Conger – whenever he's around the goal, he's going to finish.”
John A. Lewis is a sports writer for the Burlington County Times, the Courier Post and the Vineland Daily Journal. E-mail him at jlewis@thebct.com. Please consider supporting local journalism with a subscription.
This article originally appeared on Burlington County Times: Shawnee stops Rancocas Valley; moves on to Coaches final
