By DAVE O’SULLIVAN
Publisher
UNION — Morris Catholic sophomore Abby Shirkey found some space from 12 yards out and ripped a shot on net. Holy Spirit goalie Ayanna Jones dove to her right and got a hand on it, but watched helplessly — along with the Spartans’ defense — as the ball trickled into the goal.
Just like that — after nearly 82 minutes of scoreless soccer — Spirit’s dream of its first-ever state championship turned to heartbreak, as Shirkey’s golden goal in overtime Sunday lifted the Crusaders to a 1-0 victory in the Non-Public B final at Kean University’s Alumni Field.
“There’s a lot of pressure when you are a goalie. The goal was a great goal. I got a hand on it, so I’m proud of that. I looked back and it was in, and that was a heartbreaker. But they were a good team, and my coaches helped me (play well today),” said Jones, a senior who just started playing soccer last year. “This is amazing (to get here). My girls are a great group of girls and we’re like sisters. We literally hang out every day, and this journey with them was absolutely amazing.”
“I told her, ‘don’t let that goal define your season.’ She had an amazing season,” said Holy Spirit coach Alicia Downey. “This girl has only played soccer for two years. She’s a basketball player who was made into a goalie without any real training, and that’s a credit to her natural ability and how athletic she is. I told her not to let that goal define her season, because she had an outstanding season.”
The message from Downey after the game to her players was one of pride, and that the Spartans had every reason to hold their heads high despite the loss. The Spartans had one of their best seasons ever, posting 15 wins, a conference championship and the first South Jersey title in school history.
“We’ve been saying it since the beginning, the whole ‘unfinished business’ thing, and that wasn’t all talk and I think the girls showed that today,” Downey said. “They worked so hard, they put in the work, and they deserved to be here. I’m extremely proud of what they have accomplished. It’s been a history making season for us.”
Last year, Holy Spirit (15-4-3) advanced to the Non-Public B South championship game before falling in overtime to Moorestown Friends. The Spartans were intent on not suffering the same fate this year, coming into the season sporting warm-up shirts that had “unfinished business” printed on the back.
The Spartans got some revenge this year, knocking out Moorestown Friends in the second round of the sectional tournament, then they beat Gill St. Bernard’s and Cape-Atlantic League rival OLMA on their way to a date with Morris Catholic (17-6-1). The Crusaders came into the championship game in search of their 15th title and brought plenty of pressure throughout the game, but Holy Spirit’s defense — led by players such as Isabella Desario, Paxton Antonucci and Delaney Crawford — held the Crusaders in check.
“Our defense stepped up big time. In the first half, I can only remember one actual opportunity for them inside the box, and that’s a big credit to our defense. In the second half, I thought they played extremely well again. Our defense played extremely well, and that’s what kept us in the game,” Downey said. “They have been great all year long, and I told them going into this game that they had to have their best game of the season today if we were going to win. And I think this was the best game of the season for them. And Ayanna was fantastic. It was a tough one at the end, and she got a hand on it, it just went their way today.”
Each team had great opportunities to put home a goal in regulation. In the first half, Holy Spirit’s Kayla Patitucci got her foot onto a cross following a throw-in on the left side, but the shot sailed just high. With time winding down, Jones deflected away a nice cross pass in front of the net by Morris Catholic, helping Holy Spirit avoid disaster. She made another save in the second half in which she deflected the shot and watched it ricochet off the crossbar before she collected the rebound.
“In the first half, I thought they dominated. We were a little nervous and had some jitters to get out. In the second half, I thought we came out and really showed who we were and made it a game. Our plan going into overtime was to get an early goal, but, unfortunately, that didn’t happen,” Downey said. “I’m so proud of the girls the way they played the whole season. It’s a tough one to swallow.”
Despite the loss, Jones said she enjoyed the opportunity to play for a state championship.
“I never thought this would happen. I just thought I was going to do this for fun, but it became an everyday thing,” she said. “I improved a lot (this year) and my team is a part of that. They helped me throughout this whole journey. When we beat Moorestown Friends, I think that was, like, we can do this. That pushed us harder.”
Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays