Knights soccer to play for GMC title on Saturday
BY WARREN RAPPLEYEA Staff Writer
The Old Bridge High School girls soccer team will continue its quest for the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament championship on Saturday.

The Knights will play East Brunswick in the final at 3 p.m. in Sayreville. Coach Rob Lozzi's team enters the contest as the underdog, but he noted that the girls "are ready to leave it all on the field."

Old Bridge played the Bears twice during the season and lost by scores of 3-0 and 4-0. Lozzi said the first game was much closer than the 3-0 score might indicate, but he acknowledged that his team did not play well in the second encounter.

Lozzi's team also qualified for the NJSIAA North 2 Group IV playoffs, but lost in the opening round to Hunterdon Central. East Brunswick was also defeated in its first state game, losing to West Windsor Plainsboro South.

Overall, the Knights are 12-5 with a defense that has allowed 23 goals, although seven of those came in a regular-season loss to J.P. Stevens.

Next up, the Knights met Stevens again in the quarterfinal. The teams had previously split a pair of games, but this time Lozzi's team prevailed, 5-2. Sophomore Amanda Pero paced the attack with four goals and Bentley added the other.

In the semifinal, Old Bridge dominated South Brunswick from the start as Pero continued her hot streak with four more goals and Bentley added another.

Bentley and Pero have been filling the net. Bentley leads the Knights in scoring with 24 goals and seven assists, with Pero not far behind with 20 goals and six assists. There has been solid ball movement from the midfielders

Kerry Glynn, a freshman, and junior Jen O'Donnell have aided the offense. Glynn has three goals and a team-leading 13 assists, while O'Donnell has contributed four goals and seven assists.

"We're a very defense-oriented team and we do concentrate on defense first," Lozzi said. "But having the kind of firepower that we have up front really takes the pressure off the defense. If we do make a mistake, we know we can get it back."

After sharing net-minding duties with Jen Schwartz for half the season, Guttman has emerged as the Knights' starter in goal. She has a solid corps of defenders in front of her, including sweeper Courtney McNallan, stopper Christine Cannon and fullbacks Mary Catherine McCarthy and Melanie Richard. Midfielders Jillian Luicci and Julie Connor are strong defenders as well. They'll be tested by the high-powered East Brunswick attack on Saturday.

"The keys for us come down to playing smart defensively, matching East Brunswick's intensity, being first to the ball, and capitalizing on our opportunities," Lozzi said.

He also credited both teams for displaying the hard work and talent to reach a conference final.

"It's not that easy to get to the finals," Lozzi said. "It says a lot about both teams, because we had to distinguish ourselves in a conference with more than 20 teams in one of the premier sports for girls athletics. That's a lot of good competition."