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HAMMONTON—Many high school teams look to their seniors when big games are on the line. For Hammonton High School’s boys soccer team, a pair of seniors stepped up when it mattered the most, helping lead the Blue Devils to a 5-3 victory in a South Jersey Group 3 quarterfinal game against Deptford on November 9.
Jaxon Miller scored three goals and Matthew Smith added a key score in the second half as the Blue Devils overcame a 2-1 halftime deficit to advance to this week’s semifinal round.
“We knew that we had to give 100 percent. And obviously the first half going into the wind is a little tough. They want every 50/50 ball. But you know we used the wind to our advantage in the second half and it worked out,” Miller said.
Miller assisted on Anthony Bova’s goal that gave Hammonton a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute, but Deptford quickly tied the game when Kenny Cockerill scored the first of his three goals less than two minutes later.
With less than eight minutes remaining in the half, Cockerill scored again to put the Spartans up 2-1 at halftime.
Hammonton coach Steve Adirzone made a few adjustments at the break and the result was four-straight Blue Devils scores.
“We have been in situations this year where we have been down by a goal and it doesn’t seem to faze these guys. My concern at half was just the energy level. I felt like we were just a little flat off our game. So that was more of the message than anything. And I think maybe just giving the other team a little bit more respect in terms of us needing to up our play. So, we did that,” Adirzone said.
Hammonton was able to move the ball much better in the second half and a few crisp passes led to a four-goal outburst that sealed the win.
The first score came early in the second half when Miller took a deflection off Jerry Bautista Galvez that tied the game and minutes later, he added another goal for a 3-2 lead.
“My teammates put me in a good position to score and it felt really good,” Miller said.
Adirzone said the two quick scores were important for the Blue Devils.
“It was huge we got the quick goal in the second half and then we got the go-ahead goal not much behind it. We didn’t have to battle to get that goal to tie it for 40 minutes. It was key to get it early. [Deptford] had three losses all year, so we knew it was going to be a quality game,” he said.
After Miller’s second goal, Hammonton continued to press the action, and their strong offensive play led to two more scores.
“We got the ball into the spaces that we were trying to get the ball into. We attacked from the point that we were trying to attack from, and then the guys off the ball did a great job finding space and then finishing when they had the opportunity,” Adirzone said.
In the 59th minute, Smith scored off a pass from Anthony Gonzalez to put Hammonton ahead 4-2.
“It definitely changed the tide of the game because, I mean, even if we were up one, it was still a close game,” Smith said.
“I think that goal definitely had them put their heads down, had us get more energy and feel more comfortable,” he said.
Adirzone also felt Smith’s goal was an important one.
“Yeah, it was huge. Just to get that extra little cushion because [Deptford’s players] up top are dangerous. And we know any long ball can be a goal. Anything can happen,” Adirzone said.
Having taken a two-score lead, Miller all but sealed the win when he tacked on his third goal of the game with 10:36 remaining.
“We played so many good teams this year that we knew even though we were down a goal that we could come back and win. We never quit,” Miller said.
The victory against Deptford sent Hammonton into the semifinals on November 12 against top-seeded Shawnee. That game ended too late for this edition. The winner will play for the sectional title on November 15 against the winner of Moorestown and Toms River East.
Earlier last week, Hammonton won its opening round game against Ocean City 1-0. Miller’s goal in the 72nd minute gave the Blue Devils a hard-fought 1-0 win.
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