Old Bridge boys soccer captures first GMCT title with exciting win on penalty kicks

EDISON – Stephen Deak dove to his right, both hands out, and swatted Monroe’s final penalty kick away as Old Bridge prevailed 7-6 in Tuesday’s shootout after a 1-1 tie following 100 minutes of play.

With it came the program’s first-ever Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament title in its first appearance. Old Bridge – long celebrated for its cross country and football success in the fall – is now officially a soccer school and there was much buzz in the crowd.

Classmates clad in purple and waving purple flags sprinted onto the field to celebrate with the team in the end zone, jumping around and sharing plenty of hugs and smiles.

Deak gave a nod to the fan base when asked what was going through his head when he made that save.

“The fans,” the junior said. “They managed to drive 35 minutes to J.P. Stevens to have a great time with us, especially making a comeback. Everyone’s storming the field. It’s just an amazing feeling.”

The Knights party almost didn’t happen.

The defending champs Monroe took an early lead when Nate Lipton scored on a looping shot with a high arc to the right of the Deak in the sixth minute for the 1-0 Falcons edge.

It turned into an evenly played game with both teams having chances. The desperate Old Bridge team put pressure in the second half. With about 5 minutes left, Deak boomed a free kick from midfield near the Monroe net.

Jake Southwell knocked it in off his foot with 4:46 remaining to tie it 1-1. Each team also got off shots in the two 10-minute sudden death overtime sessions before penalty kicks.

It went to the shootout in a game that had an ethereal feel to it with a fog hovering up high.

Deak made saves on the first and final Monroe kick. In between, Deak also scored twice as did teammates Donovan Battle and Vincent Tribianni and Zach Deluca added a PK goal.

The celebration was on for the top-seeded Knights (10-4-5) and head coach Chris McGrath.

Justin Graham made five saves for second-seeded Monroe (11-6-2) and kept his team in the game during regulation.

What does it mean

Old Bridge had quite a turnaround after falling in last season’s GMCT quarterfinals en route to a 12-3-4 campaign.

This fall, Old Bridge provided many fun moments for its fans and advanced in the GMCT with a 3-1 win over J.P. Stevens in the first round, in penalty kicks over South Brunswick in the quarters after it was tied 1-1 and a 2-0 win over St. Joseph in the semifinals.

This is Old Bridge’s third win over Monroe this season having prevailed 2-1 on Sept. 9 and 2-0 on Sept. 28.

Monroe advanced by wins of 4-0 over Woodbridge in the opening round, 2-1 over South Plainfield in the quarters and 2-1 against New Brunswick.

They said it

Old Bridge’s coach McGrath said, “Great players, great parents, great coaches, great assistants and a strong AD behind us. He keeps us going and we’re delighted. We’re so proud of the boys. They’re going to party like champs because they’ve earned it.”

McGrath on the team’s toughness, “Last year, we had a big setback and I think that kind of made the boys mentally tough. When you’re the one seed, the expectation goes up, but the margins are tiny. This year the boys were not going to let it get away from them.”

McGrath on the team coming back, “We’re been working hard. No one’s perfect, but these boys are not quitters. There’s been half a dozen games this year where we fell behind. They never give up. So as long as there’s time on the clock and we can put the ball into the box. We’re blessed with incredible athletes. Good leaders.”

Tribianni on the team staying loose during the penalty kicks, “We kind of just joke around. Try to lighten up the spirits so that everyone’s calm. That’s like our team motto in the locker room. We’re calm so just applying that same mentality in the PKs.”

Tribianni was asked if the team was getting nervous down one in the second half, “Not at all. I mean, we were knocking on their door. We were putting the pressure. We knew the goal would come.”

Deak on the team getting the first GMCT boys soccer title “It’s great. We can finally have a banner with our number on.”

Deak on how the penalty kick win over South Brunswick lifted the team in the final, “That helped us a whole lot more than anyone probably thinks. We all know who the PK takers were and they can convert when they need to.”

What’s next

Are you ready for Old Bridge/Monroe Part 4? The teams can meet in Monday’s NJSIAA Central Group 4 quarterfinals if both win their first-round game on Thursday. No. 4 Monroe plays No. 13 North Brunswick and No. 5 Old Bridge hosts No. 12 Manalapan.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ boys soccer: Old Bridge wins GMC title for first time