Sussex Advances to Region XIX Final
The SCCC women's soccer team advanced to the Region XIX Championship game with a 1-0 win over Rowan College at Burlington County, Pemberton, NJ, on Saturday. All-Region XIX and All-Conference Forward, Gabby Sarni (Kittatinny), had a superb finish in the 7th minute from a Celina Faschan (Denmark) cross to give the Skylanders an early lead. The Skylander defense, led by SCCC Goalkeeper, Katie Bertoa (Wallkill), and All-Region and All-Conference Defender, Eden Brown (England), Kendra Berry (Newton), and Kristina Feeley (Hopatcong) then withstood every RCBC attack with poise and calm. Both teams cleary wanted the win and pushed hard for the next goal in the game and the competitiveness showed with an extremely physical game that had tension for the entire 90 minutes. At one point, late in the game, RCBC had a golden opportunity to equalize as the ball was in front of the Sussex goal for about 15 seconds consisting of numerous shots and blocks until it was cleared away by Eden Brown. Katie Bertoa suffered an injury during that pivotal moment and had to leave the game, being replaced by Emily Martinez (Hopatcong) who finished out the game in goal for the Skylanders. Head Coach, Frank Vernacchio, stated afterwards, "That was the most physical game of the year for our team and I am extremely proud of our girls, they toughed it out and now we head to the championship game."
The women will play Saturday, October 28th in the Championship Final of Region XIX vs Essex CCC (a result of 1-1 during th regular season) at the Proving Grounds (Town Recreational Fields) in Bryn Mawr, PA. Harcum College will be the host of this event. With the win vs RCBC, the women have qualified for the National Junior College Athletic Association District tournament, regardless of the outcome vs Essex, which will be be hosted by the winner of Saturday's 10/28 game. This will be a 4 team District Tournament held on Nov 4-5.