CBA Advances to State Final in Dramatic Fashion
With the Academy buzzing after the state tournament victory over St. Augustine on Monday, the Colts returned to the field and did not disappoint on Thursday.
In the most crowded home game of the season, CBA defeated Notre Dame 5-4 to win the Non-Public A South Sectional Final, advancing the Colts to Sunday’s state championship game.
Both fan sections came out for the game, with Notre Dame sending multiple fan buses and CBA dismissing the upperclassmen at 1 p.m.
The game started with a traditional CBA Pipes and Drums performance, serenading the crowd. The two soccer teams soon followed right behind the band as they walked onto the field, creating a cool moment before the game.
Both teams came out very aggressive in the first half. In the 11th minute, Will Thygeson took advantage of the beautiful cross by Jack D’Eletto to put the Academy up 1-0.
CBA kept firing from there. In the 29th, Dylan Cupo, the hero of Monday’s game, scored and gave CBA a 2-0 lead. Only a few minutes later, Dimitry Corba launched a shot that hit nothing but the back of the net in the 33rd, pushing the CBA lead to 3-0.
After defeating NJ.com’s top ranked team in Pingry on Monday, Notre Dame was not going down without a fight. In the 34th, Notre Dame finally struck back with a goal right before the half, making the score 3-1.
The Icky La Boomba revved the Colt Crazies up at halftime, and the energy at the field was palpable.
Defense was the name of the game in the second half as both sides tried to lock down their end. CBA finally broke through the Notre Dame defense, as Jake Homowitz scored directly off a corner kick in the 50th, putting CBA up 4-1.
Notre Dame continued to be relentless, as they went on to score two goals within a few minutes, bringing the contest within one goal.
Cupo had something to say about that, as he once again extended the CBA lead to 5-3 with a goal in the 62nd.
Notre Dame would get a penalty kick and score with less than a minute on the clock, but they would run out of time for a comeback.
The CBA bench rushed the field as the clock hit zero and ran to the Colt Crazies in celebration. With a 5-4 victory against a valiant Notre Dame club in the state sectional final, CBA is moving on to the state final against Seton Hall Prep on Sunday. Game time at Kean University will be 5:30 p.m.
In what will be the final varsity soccer game on the O’Gara-Montedoro Fields, the Colts certainly went out on top. They will be sure to bring that same level of success just down the driveway to the soon-to-be completed Keane Turf Field next fall.
