Sacred Heart soccer team eliminated

Sacred Heart's bid to defend its Non-Public B state boys' soccer championship was halted by a familiar opponent.

St. Rose broke a 1-1 tie with two goals in the final 20 minutes to defeat Sacred Heart, 3-1, in last night's sectional championship at Eastern.

Last season, en route to winning the state title, Sacred Heart beat St. Rose, 3-2, in this same South Jersey championship game.

Playing its final game for coach Chris Meyrick, Sacred Heart finished 16-3. Meyrick announced before the season that he would be stepping down after this year to be the head coach at Cumberland County College.

With the constant pressure St. Rose applied from the beginning of the game, it appeared the Purple Roses were intent on settling matters early.

St. Rose (19-3) took a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute when Ian Culley converted a pass from Dylan Marx. After scoring, the Purple Roses continued to apply the heat.

To its credit, Sacred Heart settled down and tied the score with 11 minutes, 21 seconds left in the first half, when Nick Gazzara scored from six yards out, scissor-kicking the ball into the back of the net. For Gazzara it was his 29th goal of the season and continued a personal streak. The junior has scored at least one goal in each of the Lions' 19 games this season.

After Gazzara's goal, the Lions continued to control possession.

"We were taking it to them, and when you do that you have to capitalize, and we weren't able to do that," Meyrick said.

Sacred Heart continued to have the better of play in the second half, but the momentum shifted suddenly when St. Rose's Christopher Hueth headed in a free kick from Marx with 19:45 remaining to give the Purple Roses a 2-1 lead.

After assisting on the first two goals, Marx got one for himself, scoring on a rebound with 15:56 left, giving the Purple Roses a comfortable 3-1 lead.

"This feels good, especially after last year," Marx said. "It was a game that we controlled early, they took over, and then we got it back."

Sacred Heart returned to the sectional final despite heavy losses to graduation.

"It was a good season," Gazzara said. "I'm proud of what we accomplished."

Sacred Heart 1 0 - 1

St. Rose 1 2 - 3

Goals: SR-Ian Culley, Christopher Hueth, Dylan Marx. SH-Nick Gazzara

Saves: SR: Andrew Kurtz, 7, SH-Jesse Dickenson 6