Ocean United Eagles Girls Team Reaches State Cup Finals
The Ocean United Eagles U12 girls soccer team reached the finals of the 2005 National Championship Series New Jersey State Cup on November 6th by defeating teams from all over the state in a strong run that began in mid-September.
The Ocean United Eagles U12 Girls team are pictured here. They are (first row) Sarah Mark, Kerry Lang, Kate Culloo and Alana Jimenez. In the second row are Kristen Lopes, Jackie Cajigal, Olivia Defilice, Chelsey Henderson, Tara Johansen, Andrea Paterno, Kim Stokhamer and Lauren Hughes. In the third row are Kelly Henderson, Brianne Reed and Danielle Kuchinskim.
The Eagles began their playoff run on September 17 when they defeated the Ironbound Crusaders of Newark 3-0 on their home field. They then won their next five playoff games over teams from such towns as Ridgewood, North Hunterdon, and Highland/Sussex to reach the semi-finals played on the fields of Fort Dix.
In the semis, the Eagles took on the 2004 champs, the Pitts Grove Pride from Salem County and defeated them with 3 scores in a shoot-out after the two teams battled to a 1-1 tie through two overtime periods.
The Eagle players challenged a strong Players Development Academy (PDA) team from Bridgewater in the championship final, and played a stout defense before a loose ball bounced in just before the end of the first half for a PDA 1-0 lead. That score held up in the second half as the Eagles continued their strong defensive play, but could not generate a sustained offense and the game ended with a 1-0 PDA win.
Eagle Coach Ben Mark congratulated the team after the championship game, noting this was the first Ocean girls team to advance to the final of a State Cup playoff in recent memory.
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