By BRIAN TORTELLA
Correspondent
On X @tortreports
SEWELL — Sean Tarsatana texted one of his friends on Wednesday morning, saying that he was going to score a hat trick later that night in the semifinal round of the prestigious South Jersey Coaches’ Cup.
A dozen hours later, his prediction came to fruition.
Tarsatana scored six minutes into the game on his way to the hat trick as No. 3 Washington Township defeated No. 15 Ocean City, 4-2, to move onto the final round of the tournament.
Washington Township will take on the winner between top-seeded St. Augustine and fourth-seeded Shawnee on Saturday evening at DeCou Fields in Cherry Hill.
“We were all just dialed in for the game. We knew we had to take it seriously. We were all just focused,” said Tarsatana, a senior. “We knew we had to come in here and set the tone early. We knew it all started with our mindset. I texted my friend before I came here that I was going to score a hat trick today. So it felt good to actually get it.
“It was exactly what we wanted, to get the lead early. We wanted to get the front foot in the game, and that’s what we did.”
Tarsatana followed up on his early strike with another score in the 29th minute to extend Washington Township’s lead to 2-0. Chase Bowman got Ocean City on the board to cut the deficit to 2-1 by halftime, but Ayden Anderson and Tarsatana halted any momentum the Red Raiders had with goals in the first 15 minutes of the second frame.
“I’m just so proud of these boys. I mean, it was a back-and-forth game,” Minutemen coach Ed McCusker said. “You have to give credit to Ocean City. They’re a great team, well coached and organized. But today, we were ready to go.
“You know, it’s a long season. You play for these moments. We do the best we can to get the boys prepared and they’re the ones out there performing. I’m proud of them and the way that they fought, defensively and offensively.”
Added Tarsatana, “we knew not to take them lightly. They’re always a good team. They came out and fought and played really well, but we just brought the energy when we needed to.”
The win improved Washington Township to 17-1-2 on the season. The Minutemen’s only setback came to Shawnee in the second game of the season back on Sept. 8.
Tarsatana, a South Jersey Player of the Year candidate, now has a team-high 25 goals and 18 assists for the Minutemen.
“He’s a four-year player. I had the privilege to coach him the last two years as a varsity coach, but I’ve known him for four years,” McCusker said. “He’s a special type of player. He finds these moments. He’s a team guy. I know he has a lot of stats, but he wants to win. He’s a competitor.”
If Shawnee is able to upset St. Augustine Prep, the Minutemen will get a shot at redemption from their only loss.
“Obviously, these are two of the better teams in not just South Jersey, but the state,” McCusker said of St. Augustine and Shawnee. “And I wish them both luck. Whoever we draw, I know we’re going to try to be ready to play them. It’s going to be a great game no matter what.”
