Central Girls' Historic Soccer Run Comes to End

They went further than any other Central Regional girls soccer team has gone before, reaching the state sectional final. And they wanted more -- they wanted a sectional title.

The Golden Eagles tried repeatedly to get through the Moorestown defense in the  NJSIAA South Jersey Group III title game, but the Quakers never backed down, and came away with a 2-0 victory in Bayville on Tuesday.

Moorestown (16-4-1) scored early on a direct kick by Nicole Verela awarded after Central goalkeeper Lindsey Mahnken received a yellow card for a hard foul on a Moorestown forward. It was a play similar to the one in Central's 2-1 semifinal victory over Kingsway on Friday, where the Kingsway goalkeeper was ejected. The Quakers clinched the victory in the waning minutes on a goal by Marie McCool.

Central (15-3-1) struggled to generate much offense, as the Quakers pressured every touch and disrupted the few shots the Eagles were able to get against keeper Carly Blessing.

At the other end, the Quakers challenged Mahnken repeatedly, forcing the junior to make a number of difficult stops. She finished with 16 saves for the Eagles, who won their second straight Shore Conference Class B South title this year. 

Before the game, the Moorestown team presented Central with a check for $500 to assist in the recovery from Hurricane Sandy.