Girls' Soccer Team Captures 2nd Straight State Championship

Faced with the reality of, perhaps, not returning to the state championship game earlier in the week, the New Providence girls’ soccer team had to dig deep to produce a comeback victory in the Group 1 semifinals.

However, once the Pioneers returned to the final, they made sure they would not be denied a first-time repeat championship.

Sophomore forward Casey Trezza scored to give New Providence the lead for good late in the first half. After that, it was goals by Ashley Evangelos, and Paige Carleen in the second half that sparked New Providence to a dominating 4-0 victory over Haddon Township in Saturday’s Group 1 state championship game at The College of New Jersey in Ewing Township.

New Providence senior goalkeeper Jill Ashinsky was solid in net once again, coming up with five saves for a season-ending shutout.

The Pioneers fired plenty of shots in the first half, but did not reach the scoreboard immediately. With the score still 0-0, it was Haddon Township that almost scored first but eventually finished 19-6.

A ball got loose in the penalty box, with it bouncing back and forth before Evangelos, a sophomore defender, cleared it away. “I knew I needed to get to it,” Evangelos said. “There were a lot of people in front of the goal, so I just took a swing at it and, luckily, it went out.”

“I was on the goal line and kicked it and then [teammate] kicked it again,” senior captain said. “It was a scramble.”

“Ashley is one of our defenders that does not get the recognition she deserves,” said New Providence head coach Scott Murphy, who was named the New Jersey Scholastic Coaches Association 2011-2012 Coach of the Year. “She covered No. 22 [senior Patrice Maro], who will be playing at Philadelphia University, and the girl wasn’t able to do anything.”

With four minutes left in the first half, New Providence finally lit up the scoreboard. Trezza, a sophomore forward, took a left-footed shot from the left side that found the right side of the goal.

“After practice yesterday I knew we were going to be 100 percent ready,” Murphy said. “I knew the effort would be there. About 10-15 minutes in, I felt we were controlling the tempo. We needed to get one goal by halftime to validate that. Casey’s goal set the tone for the second half.”

Before New Providence was able to add to its lead, Ashinsky came up big with a diving save of a low shot, seven minutes into the second half.

Almost exactly six minutes later, Culleton took a corner kick from the left side that Evangelos was in perfect position for — from the middle of the penalty box — to head home.

“I was in shock,” Evangelos said of her third goal of the season. “I couldn’t believe it went in and that I actually scored a goal in the state championship game.”

That goal was enough to get New Providence and its fans excited about another state title.

“Ashley’s header [goal] sealed it,” Murphy said.

Not satisfied with just a two-goal lead, New Providence junior forward , who managed four shots of her own in the first half, fired a strong shot with her right foot that beat the Haddon Township goalie and bounced off the left post and into the goal. Her team-leading and very sweet 16th goal of the season, assisted by senior Stephanni Perini, came with 15:09 left and all but put the game away.

After New Providence reserves were inserted, senior Paige Carleen produced a fine looking goal with 5:10 left. Carleen switched the ball from her right foot to her left to beat a defender inside the penalty box at the right and then lifted the ball over the goalie’s head and into the left side of the goal. Senior Brigette Mullins was credited with an assist.

“To be able to hold the trophy again is incredible,” said Murphy, who has guided New Providence to three of its four state championships in nine seasons as the head coach.

“By the way, we had to come back in our last game, we deserved this state championship,” Evangelos said.

“Our second goal cemented it and really relaxed us,” Culleton said. Culleton has now played on four state championship teams; two basketball and two soccer. “All were extremely satisfying,” Culleton said. “In basketball, we beat University two years in a row and that was incredible. In soccer, we just proved that last year was no fluke.”

NOTES: For the first time in program history, New Providence has won back-to-back state championships. The girls’ basketball program accomplished the same feat last winter.

The Pioneers, who were also lifted in this game by the return of senior back and captain Nicole Saitta, captured their second Group 1 title outright and fourth overall. Saitta, who did not play , was coming back from a face injury that needed 60 stitches.

New Providence Athletic Trainer Karen Magliacano said that Saitta, who suffered the injury eight days ago in in the North 2, Group 1 final, was cleared to play Friday for Saturday’s state final. Magliacano described the covering of Saitta’s face injury as a thick gel pad.

New Providence shared the 2000 title with Haddon Township and the 2003 crown with Glen Rock. The Pioneers defeated Pennsville 1-0 in last year’s final at TCNJ.

New Providence ended the season with a seven-game winning streak and finished 18-1-1. The undefeated Union County Conference-Mountain Division champions gave up only nine goals the entire season, with 15 of their wins coming by shutout.

The Pioneers blanked four of five state tournament opponents, outscoring them 15-2.