Lehman's late goal lifts Memorial to victory
Overtime tally pushes Jackson girls soccer to a 4-1 record
BY MIKE WHITE Staff Writer

JACKSON - When Jackson Memorial and Brick Township square off in girls soccer, it's always an interesting endeavor, complete with plenty of drama and nail-biting excitement.

Monday afternoon's meeting was no different.

Senior Kristyn Lehman's overtime goal gave Jackson a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Brick in a Shore Conference A South battle. The win improves Jackson to 4-1 overall.

Lehman took a shot from 10 yards out that rebounded off Brick's goalie. The ball bounded to the left side of the crease, where Lehman followed it and blasted a drive inside the left post to send players and spectators into celebration.

"She never gave up on the ball," Jackson coach Drew Gibson said. "She took a shot that went off the goalie. She managed to get her rebound and put it past her. The game was pretty exciting. Whenever we go up against Brick, it is always an interesting battle. They are a scrappy team. We were fortunate to come out on the right side of the win."

Lehman scored in the 83rd minute of the contest to give the Lady Jaguars their fourth win of the season. Jackson's only loss was an overtime setback against Toms River North earlier in the season.

Gibson is pleased with his girls' play thus far in the early stages of the season.

"We're playing well and we have a lot of experience," Gibson said. "This team has been together for a while. They know how tough the games are in this conference. There are no easy games, so you have to be ready to play every day."

Jordan Bunch and Kelly Lyons scored Jackson's other goals. Dana Costello and Kierstyn Mabey added assists.

Gibson got the kind of game he expected from Brick.

"They play hard the entire game," he said. "They are well coached and have a number of talented athletes. It came down to which team wanted that goal more in overtime. I thought we played extremely well in the final 10 minutes of regulation, and then we stepped up our level of play even more in the overtime."

Twice Jackson took one-goal leads only to have Brick rally to knot the score. Gibson said his squad missed a couple of opportunities at the end of the game, but made the most of the scoring chance in the extra session.

"We did have chances at the end of regulation," Gibson said. "We didn't cash in. Luckily it didn't come back to haunt us."

Jackson shut out Southern 3-0 last Saturday. Costello paced the Lady Jags with two goals and Mabey added an assist.

Jackson put forth a stellar defensive effort, led by goalkeeper Marissa Zayac.

"She has had a great season for us so far," Gibson said. "She made a number of great stops in the Brick game and was solid against Southern also. She is extremely aggressive in the box and is doing a great job winning a lot of those 50-50 balls. She has been an anchor for us defensively."