Brookdale clinches three-peat with late McEnough header
The Jersey Blues scored in the 83rd minute to defeat Oxford Emory 1-0 in the championship final
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL | BOX SCORE | TOURNAMENT AWARDS
TOMS RIVER, N.J. – Brookdale (N.J.) won its third consecutive national title Sunday with a 1-0 victory over Oxford Emory (Ga.) in the NJCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championship final. The Jersey Blues are the first program at any level of NJCAA women’s soccer to win three straight national championships.
The match was tied 0-0 with just under eight minutes remaining, when Brookdale freshman midfielder Amanda Karabin lined up a corner kick. Her cross went straight into the penalty area and found the head of sophomore Simone McEnough. The ball sailed to the right of Oxford Emory freshman goalkeeper Daria Zarzeka and into the net for the championship-winning goal.
Jersey Blues goalkeeper Marti Stewart recorded her 14th shutout of the season in the victory. The sophomore turned away all three of the Eagles’ shots-on-goal. Stewart’s effort in net throughout the tournament was recognized with her being named Most Valuable Defensive Player.
Leading Brookdale to the title was midfielder Ashely Cafarella who was named tournament MVP. Tallying five points in three matches, Cafarella scored two goals and registered an assist.
McEnough was selected as the tournament’s Most Valuable Offensive Player and joined Cafarella, Stewart and Jersey Blues freshman forward Heather Arbachesky on the all-tournament team.
No. 2-seed Brookdale’s tournament run began in Thursday’s quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory over No. 7-seed Suffolk County (N.Y.). The Jersey Blues offense exploded against SUNY Broome (N.Y.) Friday as they cruised to a 3-0 win in the semifinals.
Brookdale’s championship victory bumped its overall record up to 19-1-0 for the year. Suffering its first loss of the season, Oxford Emory fell to 18-1-1.