Depth has Jackson boys sitting atop the division
BY MIKE WHITE
Staff Writer

JACKSON - Steve Bado isn't afraid to go to his bench. In fact, the Jackson High School boys soccer coach credits his team's depth for its quick start to the 2006 season. The Jaguars won their seventh consecutive game Monday with a 3-0 shutout over Lacey Township High School in a Shore Conference A South matchup.

As it has in the past, Jackson's reserves sparked an offense that sputtered at times in this contest. Both Jerry Mecca and Joe Alletta came off the bench to score goals to put the Jackson offense back in gear.

"We started off a little sluggish," Bado admitted. "But we have so much depth on this squad that we can platoon guys in and out. We keep the pressure on our opponents and we're equipped with fresh legs. Today was just another example of our guys coming off the bench and stepping up in a big spot."

Jackson has now posted four consecutive shutouts. The Jags have outscored their opponents by a gaudy 27-4 margin.

"We're not having any problems putting the ball in the net," Bado said. "We have plenty of guys on this year's team who can find the back of the net. Plus, we're returning most of our defense from last year. We're not giving up a lot of scoring opportunities."

Jackson took a 1-0 lead about five minutes into the game. Bado thought that was a sign that his squad was going to coast along. Bado couldn't have been more wrong. Lacey's defense buckled down, and Jackson missed out on a couple of scoring chances, and the half ended with the Jags clinging to a 1-0 lead.

"You don't want to let a team like Lacey hang around for too long," said Bado, whose team knocked off Lacey 5-1 earlier in the season. "We just couldn't get going. We hit the post three times and Lacey was starting to play well."

Jackson was coming off a four-day layoff. Bado figured the rest would do his squad good.

"I figured we'd be rested and ready to go," the coach said. "Forget it. The time off didn't do us any good. We seemed to be out of sync for awhile."

Bob Lindstrom scored Jackson's final goal, and Ben Rodkey contributed two assists. Rodkey leads the team in scoring with seven goals.

"We've been very good on offense," Bado said. "But I still think we could be more consistent at both ends of the field. When you play in A South, there are no games off. You have to be ready to battle every game."

Following a meeting with Toms River North Friday, Bado and his squad are looking forward to a game with Toms River East next Tuesday. At 6-0 in the A South, Jackson is poised to take on the Raiders.

"That is going to be an interesting game," Bado said. "We're not getting too far ahead of ourselves, but we know the importance of that game."