CBA soccer falls short in quest for state title Colts lose to Seton Hall Prep in Non-Public Group Final BY DOUG McKENZIE Correspondent In their regular-season opener, the CBA boys soccer team faced a Manalapan squad that entered the year ranked No. 1 in the Shore. JEFF GRANIT staff Matt Lamura (r) of CBA stands with his hands on his head after the Colts' 2-0 loss to Seton Hall Prep in the NJSIAA Non-Public A final at The College of New Jersey When CBA found a way to beat the Braves, 6-2, head coach Dan Keane realized his team could play with anyone. He also realized that Manalapan was every bit as good as advertised. Now, as the season has wrapped up, Keane looks back at that game and recognizes just how accurate his assessments were. "It's been kind of a winding road for both of these teams," he said. "That was a big win for us because we knew how strong they were. Both teams had their ups and downs this year, but now there are only two Shore teams with sectional titles, us and them." Both Manalapan and CBA won their respective sectional crowns recently, with the Colts moving on to face the state's topranked team, Seton Hall Prep, in the Non- Public Group final on Nov. 13. Unfortunately, that's where the Colts' road to glory ended, as they fell to the Pirates, 2-0, at the College of New Jersey. Senior forward C.J. Crooks scored both goals for the Pirates, with the first coming in the 19th minute. That goal was the source of a bit of controversy, though Keane was hesitant to add fuel to the fire. "It was a non-call, really," the coach said. "Our keeper, Steve Allesio, had control of the ball, and their kid (Crooks) came crashing into him and knocked the ball out. The one official, the linesman, had his flag up for a foul, but basically the guy in the middle didn't see the foul. "It gave them the 1-0 lead at halftime and then Crooks just put it away with a breakaway goal with about 18 minutes to go." Following the game, Keane was quick to compliment both teams in the high level of play throughout. "We played very well. We gave it our best," he said. "We thought we'd have a shot at beating them, but we knew we had to play our best game of the year. It wasn't our best game, but we did play well." Keane added that nothing the Pirates did surprised him, it was just a matter his squad not being able to hold off Seton Hall's top offensive players for the entire 80 minutes. "We thought we could play with them defensively, even though they have those two very strong forwards in Crooks and Shawn Duggan," he said. "We hung in with them defensively. We hoped to have a better outcome, but honestly I think the better team won. Although they were very disappointed, I think the kids will get a sense of satisfaction when they look back on this at some point." Indeed, the Colts run to the Group final was an impressive one, starting with a 4-1 win over rival St. John Vianney in the first round of playoffs, followed by a 2- 0 win over the Non-Public South A's top seed, St. Augustine. Then, in the sectional final, CBA beat Gloucester Catholic, 3-1. "We had a real good night against Gloucester Catholic," Keane said. After finishing the year 14-6-1, Keane expects to have his hands full once next season rolls around. "We lose 12 seniors, and it's a very talented group. They had two years of reaching the state finals," he said. "I guess we'll be primarily in a rebuilding mode next year. Anytime you lose seven starters it's tough. And the JV didn't have a great year, so we're going to have to rebuild next year. We'll be OK though." The cupboard will not be entirely bare though, as Keane will return four starters with championship-level experience. "Our two outside halfbacks, Pat Rafferty and Cory Rague, will be back, along with Steve Krachie in the backfield, who is an excellent player," Keane said. "Matt Lamura, our center midfielder, will also be back, so we'll be looking to him for a lot of our offense. "It's a nice group to start with," he added. "There are some other kids who saw some time too and played well when given the chance. But we'll be scratching our heads a bit, at least to start, next year." For now, Keane and his players will spend their days reflecting on what has been another stellar season for the Colts. "As a coaching staff, we were very pleased with the season," Keane said. Which is exactly what he expected following that opening win over Manalapan.