Holmdel boys soccer goalie Tommy Chyzowych's heroic effort sends Hornets to sectional semis

HOLMDEL – Tommy Chyzowych is a Division 1 goalkeeper for a reason.

Where the average keeper might tremble at the prospect of a penalty shootout, the Holmdel senior and Lehigh commit relishes the opportunity to put the balance of the game on his back.

Chyzowych got that opportunity on Thursday afternoon and made it a signature moment of his high school career - both making saves and when he got his own chance at taking a penalty.

After two scoreless regulation halves and overtime periods, Chyzowych made two crucial saves during the shootout and converted the game-clinching penalty kick as fourth-seeded Holmdel advanced past fifth-seeded Wall in the Central Group 2 quarterfinals 4-3 on penalties.

Holmdel (11-5-1) will face top-seeded Voorhees in the semifinals next week.

“I love it, the pressure is not a big thing for me,” Chyzowych said. “I love being in the spotlight. I love being out there and winning it for my team.”

All-Shore watch list: Goalkeepers

NJSIAA state tournament: Schedule, results, recaps

Chyzowych was pumped up and in a frenzy prior to the shootout. He high-fived all his teammates on the bench and oozed confidence. It set the tone for Holmdel’s cool approach.

'Tommy settled them down'

“Just by looking at him, all the guys respect him. Everyone listens to what he says and feeds off his energy,” Holmdel head coach Matt Isaacson said. “Tommy settled them down. He made sure he let them know that we were going to win and get the job down.”

Standing between the pipes with his hulking six-foot-four frame with gloved hands the size of oven mitts, Chyzowych made the first big play of the shootout by saving Wall’s second shot. He guessed correctly, diving to his left and saving the ball as it glided on the turf.

He saved the very next Wall shot too, once again diving to his left and stopping a low line drive. Chyzowych let out an even bigger celebratory roar than the first time around.

Holmdel only missed one shot after Brendan Worobel, Max Woodward and David Weiner converted their penalty kicks, so Chyzowych had the game on his shoulders as Wall’s fifth shooter approached. He could either save the shot and clinch the game there or bury the Hornets’ fifth shot and send them into the semifinals.

Chyzowych guessed correctly again but couldn’t stop Dan Hyde’s shot. He had set up Holmdel for victory with two big saves, now it was time for him to clinch it with his right boot. He smashed the clinching penalty kick into the bottom left corner to lift the Hornets.

“I’ve always wanted to take one or play up at strike just to score and have that feeling,” Chyzowych said. “We didn’t want to get to that spot, but I was confident enough that I knew I was going to go in and bury it.”

In total, Chyzowych made five saves during the game to post his 10th shutout of the season. He also played aggressively and soared through the air to snatch free kicks and corner kicks out of the air before they even reached a Wall player.

Chyzowych has long been considered one of the top goalkeepers in the Shore Conference and is coming off a 2020 season in which he missed most of Holmdel's games due to injury.

It was his first opportunity to be a playmaker in a shootout since 2019, when Holmdel had stunningly early exits in the Shore Conference Tournament and Central Group 2 tournament after shootouts with Chyzowych in net.

In the biggest moment of his high school career, Chyzowych didn't blink.

“I’ve been telling him all year that he’s the guy that’s going to take us far, and he showed it today,” Isaacson said. “Right before he stepped in goal before the PK shootout, I said to him, ‘this is where you step up, this is your game, this is where you show everyone who you really are.’ That’s exactly what he did.”

Danny LoGiudice has covered local sports across New Jersey since 2014. Contact him at dlogiudice@gannettnj.com or @danny_logiudice on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Shore Conference boys soccer: Holmdel, Tommy Chyzowych advance to section semis