​On Thursday November 12th, the Freehold Township Girls Soccer team made history, literally. The extremely athletic group of girls won the first Central Group IV state championship in the program’s history. This victory was not an easy feat and they had many obstacles to overcome in order to succeed.

 
​It all started at 2 PM, a cloudy and rainy day foreshadowed the first half of the game. The Hunterdon Central team was hungry for a win and was not going to give up easily. The teams were fair matched, Freehold Township being the number one seed and Hunterdon Central being the second, and both sides were ruthless.
​At the start of the game, both sides had no score. Kaela Chadziutko, a senior goalkeeper, made an amazing save from point blank. The outcome was looking bright for Township. That is, however, until Hunterdon Central’s defensive line was just as good as Freehold’s.

 
​Ten minutes into the games, Hunterdon Central scored a goal to put them on the board. The goal was a cross from the side and it hit the post to go into the net. This point did not discourage the Patriot’s.

They would continue to fight for victory.

​A mere six minutes later, Hunterdon Central scored, yet again. This time a header drove the ball into the net, making the score 2-0. For any other team, this would have made them want to give up, but not Patriots. This score made them want to fight, to prove themselves and everything they are worth.

 
​It was after half time that the Patriot’s started to do what they do best: score goals. Nicole Sasso put the Patriot’s on the board with the header in the corner of the goal. A crowd was starting to form, and the soccer team was finding their groove.

 
​Nicole Sasso was on a roll during this game. Shortly after her first goal, she scored another. Nicole Sasso is an early commit to Marist College, and it shows. Her Division 1 skills truly were shown during this game. At this point, the Patriot fans were getting rowdy. ​

 
​There was a minute left in the game, and still, the score was 2-2. The coaches, the fans, and the team all thought overtime was inevitable, but the unexpected happened. Lacey Powell, an all-star senior, came through with a header from Nicole Whitley. The score was 3-2, and all of the hard work the soccer team put in proved to be worth it in the end.

 
​All of the players on the team played a crucial role in the winning of this game, whether it be mental or physical support. The Freehold Township Girls Soccer team truly made this school proud with this game and their unbelievable persistence.

Again congratulations to Coach Patterson and his team, and good luck on the rest of the road to states.