November 16, 2014
CHAMPIONSHIP HOME | TOURNAMENT AWARDS | PHOTOS | BOX SCORE | NJCAA TV REPLAY
HERKIMER, N.Y. – Suffolk County (N.Y.) claimed their second NJCAA Division III men’s soccer national title as they defeated Richland (Texas) 2-1 on Sunday. After falling to Herkimer County (N.Y.) in the 2013 finals, the Sharks completed their quest to come back and take the championship trophy.
Freshman forward Romario Hulea was the hero for Suffolk County. The Sharks’ second-leading scorer punched in the game-winning, unassisted goal in the 49th minute. Hulea also recorded an assist on Suffolk County’s first score of the afternoon.
Sharks sophomore goalkeeper Jon Zapata gave up just one goal and recorded six saves in the championship match. Zapata was named Most Valuable Player after compiling 17 saves and a 0.59 goals-against average.
The Sharks’ opening goal during the first half marked the scoreboard in the 17th minute. Capitalizing off a fumbled shot by the Richland keeper, sophomore forward Joseph Lopez was able to put one away on the recovery to give Suffolk County a 1-0 lead.
Richland was able to tie it up with 25 minutes to play in the first half. Thunder Ducks freshman forward Danny Barnard made a break through the Suffolk County defense and sent a ground-ball right past the goal line and into the back of the net.
Going into halftime, the score remained tied at one goal apiece. With such high stakes riding on the outcome, both teams were fighting to earn the championship crown. Despite the aggressive defense played by both sides, the Sharks were able to break away and claim the 2-1 lead behind Hulea’s goal.
Seemingly to be evenly matched, possession between the blue and the white was back-and-forth during the whole regulation match while multiple free kicks were allotted to both Suffolk County and Richland off of both teams’ minor penalties and mistakes.
As the second half began, the physicality of the game evidently changed. Richland fought hard to get back in the match, however, a yellow card given to the Thunder Ducks with 2:30 left and a last-attempt free kick that went wide left of the goal allowed Suffolk County to run the clock out and ultimately walk away with the championship.
The Sharks end their season with an overall record of 21-4, earning redemption after losing 5-2 to Richland earlier in the year. Winning their final six matches of the season, Suffolk County beat out Camden County (N.J.) 4-1 in the first round and Herkimer County (N.Y.) 1-0 in the semifinals.
Despite the loss, Richland ended the season with an outstanding .920 winning percentage from a 22-2-1 overall record. They were on an impressive 16-match winning streak going into the final, having outscored Bunker Hill (Mass.) 5-2 in the opening round and Cayuga (N.Y.) 6-1 in the semis.
Suffolk was runner-up in the 2013 national championship when they lost to Herkimer County, 1-0 in the finals. The last time the Sharks won the national title was in 2010 when they beat out the Generals, 2-1.
Hulea was named to the all-tournament team after scoring a goal in all three of Suffolk County’s matches – including two goals in their first round win over Camden County (N.J.). He was joined by Sharks freshmen Adam Ek (defense), Romarios Hulea (forward), and sophomore Joseph Lopez (forward). The Coach of the Tournament award was given to Suffolk County’s own Frank Vertullo.