By Brandon Gould | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Junior Catalina Zumbado saw Nell Ducey’s throw-in come toward the box, traveling through the night sky like it was corner kick, and let it take a nice big hop. Then, she lined it up and knocked it out of the air and into the back of the net for the game-winning goal in overtime in the Union County final.
It was one of the biggest soccer goals Summit has ever seen and it secured the program’s first-ever county title. The Hilltoppers made history official with a 1-0 victory over rival Oak Knoll.
“The feeling of scoring that game-winning goal is just so cool. It’s hard to describe,” said Zumbado, who scored just her fourth goal of the year in the biggest moment of the season. “The whole team really wanted it tonight, so to score that goal and have everyone moshing together after we won is so good. We’re the first Summit girls soccer team to do this and this is so special to be apart of.”
Summit had already beaten Oak Knoll earlier his year, but the Hilltoppers were not taking this game lightly. They saw what happened to Westfield in the semifinals and this team knew it had to be ready.
Oak Knoll only had a few shots on net, but they put together two dangerous runs late in the game.
The first was in the final 10 minutes of regulation and the other was in the first couple of minutes of overtime. Oak Knoll drilled shots on both occasions, but Summit keeper Catherine King stopped them in their tracks and made sure that her team would get the chance to win it a few minutes later.
“It was really stressful in the moment, but I had to make those plays,” said King, who has 103 saves this year and eight shutouts. “We knew from the beginning of the year that our team was talented and that we could be capable of something like this. It feels really special to go out and make it happen tonight.”
The defense made it through the entire tournament without giving up a goal.
It started with a 2-0 shutout win over Cranford and heated up with a 2-0 clean sheet against Scotch Plains-Fanwood. That second shutout earned Summit a place in its first-ever county final. And when Oak Knoll knocked out defensing champion Westfield, Summit saw an opening to make history.
Senior captain Bridget Grennon scored her first varsity goal in that win over Scotch Plains-Fanwood and also helped lead the defensive effort. Juniors Emily Sensenich, Susannah O’Connell and Valentina Moretti are also starters on the back line and they never budged against Oak Knoll.
“We knew we had skill, but that’s not what mattered,” said Grennon. “What got us to this point is the heart and effort and energy that we put into every single day. That determination is even more important than skill and and technical ability. This took hard work and it’s awesome to do it for Summit.”
GIRLS SOCCER: Oak Knoll vs Summit (Union County Final) on October 21, 2023
Summit players celebrate after winning the Union County girls soccer final against Oak Knoll at Johnson HS in Clark, NJ on Saturday, October 21, 2023.John Jones | For NJ Advance Media
Zumbado and juniors Joelle Ma and Sloane Ricciuti have been Summit’s top playmakers this year and they helped create chances early on. Nothing they did really stuck though. Oak Knoll did allow shots, but they never let Summit get that breath-taking look at the net. That made the play in the midfield even more important and Ducey, junior Maggie Space and rookie Sophia Mora stepped up.
Add in King, the back line, sophomore sub Kelsey March and junior subs Parker Febo, Mackenzie Matter and Avery Mayer and you have the makings of a title team. Summit may not have a true star, but it is solid across the board and Summit coach Matt Carder trusts his starting 11 and bench.
This weekend, that group locked in against Oak Knoll and avoided the same fate that Westfield had. It took 83 minutes to get the chance to strike and when it arrived, Summit put the game away and made history. No one will every forget this county championship victory.
A banner at the school will make sure of that.
“We knew early on in scrimmages and practices that we could achieve something special this season,” Carder said. “As the year went on, it was a journey with some ups and downs and some big highs. Once you get into the county tournament, you hope for a good run. What we did against Cranford, Scotch Plains and now Oak Knoll, that’s what it is all about. I believe in every single one of those kids. They’re unbelievable athletes, unbelievable soccer players and great kids. I love it.”
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