This past summer Eric Pfeifer knew he had a young but talented squad -- he did have five seniors penciled in as starters but three were first-year varsity players -- when the girls soccer season opened for Immaculate Heart Academy.
But the learning curve truly began when the squad took a mid-season trip to Long Island to play St. Anthony.
“That game was a turning point for us,” said Pfeifer, whose team’s record fell to a modest 6-3 after that day. “Instead of just playing a more finesse game, we said let’s play finesse but turn up the physicality, closing space quicker and really winning 50-50s. We started getting mentally tougher that day, too, and it’s made all the difference.”
Fast forward to the NJSIAA/Wawa Non-Public A championship game, where the Blue Eagles, ranked No. 16 in the NJ.com Top 20, shut down a potent Red Bank Catholic attack by employing the perfect blend of finesse and physicality. IHA received goals from Lindsay Probst and Caitlin Forshay to claim a 2-0 victory over No. 5 RBC and the state title on Sunday at Kean University’s Alumni Stadium in Union.
IHA (15-6-1) concludes the season with its first state championship since 2017 when the Blue Eagles shared it with Bishop Eustace, and its first outright title since 2015 when they beat Notre Dame in the final.
“It’s all about trust,” said Forshay, a sophomore who registered her 14th goal of the season. “Every single person on the team has a special role, and we all trust each other to such a great level to do that role. I think that’s what did it for us. Our back line, our midfield, our outsides, our forwards, we all trust each other.”
Red Bank Catholic (14-5-1), bidding for its first title since tying Oak Knoll for the A title in 2016, was shut out for just the third time this season.
“They were almost allowing us to play the ball in the back and they were collapsing, playing five in the back and they made it tough,” Red Bank Catholic coach Frank Lawrence said. “Whenever we had a player with the ball they were double-teaming it hard and we just didn’t move the ball quite quick enough to get those opportunities. Give a lot of credit to their defense, and their goaltender, especially at the end, made a couple spectacular plays. That’s the way the game goes sometimes.”
The first dangerous offensive opportunity of the game resulted in a 1-0 IHA lead. Junior Lindsay Ford cranked a restart from 40 yards and Probst, a sophomore mid, snuck through to poke it through in the 10th minute.
“We knew every opportunity would be a grind,” Probst said. “On the restart I ran to the ball and as soon as I saw that no one was there I looked up and slotted it right to the corner. I couldn’t believe no one was there. Maybe they thought we were offsides.”
Red Bank Catholic posed three dangerous chances in the first half, but with no payoff. With nine minutes remaining in the half Mia Gonzalez barely caught up to a through ball inside the 18 and couldn’t generate the necessary power to push it into the net. Then with three minutes left she banged a 20-yarder off the crossbar. Finally, Gianna Romeo cranked a 30-yard restart which was nicely placed but tracked down by IHA keeper Noelle Haskell (seven saves).
Forshay’s goal in the 56th minute came off an assist from senior Olivia Salkowsky.
“When (Salkowsky) got the ball and played it to the corner, I sat back and I knew she would cut it back,” Forshay said. “I took a touch and saw the corner of the goal and knew that’s where I wanted to put it, and slotted it right in the corner.”
Haskell’s exceptional athleticism, which so impressed Lawrence, was highlighted by a terrific save in the 71st minute, as she leaped to her right to snag a laser by Red Bank Catholic’s Morgan Cupo.
RBC spent the majority of the second half in IHA’s half of the field, but actual scoring opportunities were scarce, thanks to a Blue Eagles defense which choked off passing lanes and pinched the middle on through balls en route to chalking its 10th shutout.
“Our defense is really composed and very experienced, mostly because we have a lot of captains in the back who we can depend on, so we knew they would have the better half of the game,” Probst said. “I think our patience and being composed really made the difference for us.”
The result was an elusive title for the Blue Eagles, who were making their first appearance in a state final in four years after reaching the Non-Public A final five times between 2010 and 2017.
“At the beginning I would have said we’re rebuilding, and we’re going to have to work to create goals up top,” Pfeifer said. “As the year progressed we moved Probst from defense to forward, and Forshay took on a bigger leadership role with goal-scoring.
“We had a tough strength of schedule so we picked up some losses here and there. But the girls understood it’s a learning process and it’s going to where we want to be at the end of the season. It’s not where we are in the beginning, it’s not in the middle, it’s at the end. And they’re exactly where they want to be.”
Cleo Grignard made five saves in the loss for Red Bank Catholic.
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No. 16 IHA takes down No. 5 RBC to claim first Non-Public A title since 2017 - nj.com
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