Freehold Township wins Group 4 State final

Featured, Freehold Township, High School, Soccer

November 14, 2022

Freehold Township girls' soccer won the 2022 NJSIAA Group Four state championship as they beat Ridgewood 1-0 Sunday at Kean University Alumni Stadium. The Patriots got redemption from last season as they lost to Westfield in the Group 4 final in 2021. They have completed their task after a long season and now can call themselves champions that was well deserved. What a way to cap off the season as the Patriots will get back Clemson commit Cassidy Corcione next year.

Freehold Township's was lights out, dominant and focused from the start of game time on the pitch. They were well organized in the back by attacking Ridgewood's offense, getting big clears led Gabby Koluch and forcing tough shots. It was aggressive the whole game as the Patriots limited Ridgewood shots from midfield by staying in front of the ball for possession. Also, the trapping for Freehold on defense was great as they let some of the shots go wide and away from their own goalie.

Goalkeeper Ashley Moore was a big key in Sunday's win for Freehold Township as she made some huge saves. Ridgewood did come close to scoring, but Moore was able to jump up and make an unbelievable save in a key moment of the game. Her performance gave the defense a lot of confidence, which helped lead to a shutout for the Patriots. It's always tough to keep the opposing team from scoring in a championship game like this but Moore was up to the task.

Moore is only a sophomore for the Patriots but getting the experience now will help her improve and she definitely has a bright future. She let people know to pay attention after Sunday's stellar performance against Ridgewood.

Freehold Township offense was fantastic also on the pitch Sunday as they set up nice balls to teammates getting good scoring attempts. They got great passes on the cross which helped them get an early goal. Danielle Howard put in a nice ball, which was finished by Ainsley Moy in the sixth minute.

Ridgewood's offense started to put pressure on the Patriots defense towards end of first half before halftime and in second half but still weren't able to score. They got better opportunities, but Freehold's was just more dominant today. Both teams were evenly matched when it comes to talent as they were the top two teams in rankings during the season.

When the seconds were counting down, the Freehold Township sideline started to celebrate as they stormed the field, huddled, jumped around and held the NJSIAA Group Four state championship trophy. This is the Patriots' first Group 4 title since 2015 where they were co-champions.