Central Jersey Group III: Lawrence boys soccer falls to Burlington Township on late goal
Nov 05, 2024
Lawrence's Platon Trofimchuck, right, goes to shoot the ball as Burlington Township's Matia Toro-Killion, left, defends during a Central Group III first round boys soccer game on Tuesday afternoon at the Westampton Sports Complex. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)Burlington Township's Miles Moore, left, goes to cross the ball as Lawrence's Tomasz Majkut, right, defends during a Central Group III first round boys soccer game on Tuesday afternoon at the Westampton Sports Complex. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)Lawrence's Platon Trofimchuk shoots the ball against Burlington Township during a Central Group III first round boys soccer game on Tuesday afternoon at the Westampton Sports Complex. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)Lawrence's Justiniani Trigueros Gutierrez chases after the ball against Burlington Township during a Central Group III first round boys soccer game on Tuesday afternoon at the Westampton Sports Complex. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)Lawrence's Kacper Kulesza, right, and Burlington Township's Johari Ongweny, left, compete for the ball during a Central Group III first round boys soccer game on Tuesday afternoon at the Westampton Sports Complex. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)Lawrence's Travis Schubert, left, heads the ball clear away from Burlington Township's Allieu Kamara, right, during a Central Group III first round boys soccer game on Tuesday afternoon at the Westampton Sports Complex. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)Lawrence's Samuel Motfett, right, leaps to head the ball as he's challenged by Burlington Township's Levi Shinn, left, during a Central Group III first round boys soccer game on Tuesday afternoon at the Westampton Sports Complex. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)Lawrence's Aiden Philliips kicks the ball against Burlington Township during a Central Group III first round boys soccer game on Tuesday afternoon at the Westampton Sports Complex. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)Burlington Township's Allieu Kamara, front, celebrates after scoring in the second half against Lawrence during a Central Group III first round boys soccer game on Tuesday afternoon at the Westampton Sports Complex. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)Lawrence goalkeeper Tim Dowd, center, leaps to catch the ball against Burlington Township during a Central Group III first round boys soccer game on Tuesday afternoon at the Westampton Sports Complex. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)Show Caption1 of 10Lawrence's Platon Trofimchuck, right, goes to shoot the ball as Burlington Township's Matia Toro-Killion, left, defends during a Central Group III first round boys soccer game on Tuesday afternoon at the Westampton Sports Complex. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)Expand
WESTAMPTON — The third time was the charm for Allieu Kamara.
As in the third time the Burlington Township boys soccer team’s junior forward had the ball in the back of the net it actually counted.
Kamara’s goal with five minutes remaining after having two previous attempts disallowed proved to be the winner as the seventh-seeded Falcons edged 10th-seeded Lawrence, 1-0, in a first round Central Jersey Group III match on Tuesday afternoon at the Westampton Sports Complex.
“After the first two disallowed goals, I was a little disappointed,” Kamara said. “I kept on pushing and was able to push my third chance in.”
This 7/10 matchup felt like it was going to be decided by a single goal and sure enough the moment arrived late in the second half. After a corner kick was swung into the box, Matias Toro-Killian knocked it back toward the six-yard box and Kamara was able to get just enough on it to force the ball past Cardinals goalkeeper Tim Dowd.
“Lawrence is a very good team and it was even throughout most of the game,” Kamara said. “We finished our chance and that’s what made us better today.”
The Falcons (9-9-1) advanced to a quarterfinal derby against second-seeded Northern Burlington, which was a 1-0 winner over 15th-seeded Nottingham in a second CVC/BCSL clash.
Lawrence (11-9-1) slightly edged the possession battle, but couldn’t carve out any great opportunities. Justiniani Trigueros Gutierrez had a good chance in the first half after he swiped the ball high up the pitch, but his effort was deflected straight at Burlington goalkeeper Tommy Bennett (eight saves).
The Cards’ best looks in the second half actually came directly from corner kicks. Twice Raul Sepulveda spun a left-footed inswinger toward goal that caused problems for the Falcons, but both times Bennett got just enough of a touch to keep the ball out.
“Usually we score goals, but they just did a good job of getting behind the ball,” Lawrence coach Jeff Molinelli said. “We just couldn’t make that last pass or counter when we could. It’s a credit to them.”
Despite the defeat ending their season, the Cardinals are coming off back-to-back years in which they finished over .500.
“We worked hard for it,” Molinelli said when asked if Lawrence soccer is back in a good place. “Our program was under .500 for a long time and to now be over .500 two years in a row, hopefully, we can keep that momentum going into the future.”
Lawrence (11-9-1) 0 0 — 0
Burlington Twpl (9-9-1) 0 1 — 1
Goals: Kamara (BT). Assists: Toro-Killian (BT). Shots: 9 (L). 11 (BT). Saves: Dowd 3 (L). Bennett 8 (BT).