BERKELEY HEIGHTS, NJ- The Governor Livingston High School Highlanders boys varsity soccer team took to the field, looking to start their journey towards competing for a sectional title, but the fourth-seeded Highlanders were completely outplayed as the first half went along.
They fell behind early and couldn’t get back on track, losing to the 13-seeded Matawan High School Huskies in the NJSIAA Central, Group 2 First Round by a final score of 4-2 Tuesday afternoon in Berkeley Heights.
As the first half started, the Huskies and Highlanders traded shots and corner kicks, but nothing was reaching the back of the net until the Huskies turned up the pressure in the second portion of the first half.
Matawan got to the Governor Livingston and kept the ball in the Highlanders zone and eventually, it turned into a goal, reaching the top side of the net, as the Huskies took the 1-0 lead at the 17:34-mark of the first half.
The Huskies pressured the Highlanders even more and they would strike again with a goal, taking a 2-0 lead at the 25:10-mark of the first half, as Governor Livingston struggled to get good ball control in the duration of time in the half.
The Highlanders had e a few close scoring chances as the half went along, but nothing was reaching the back of the net and they trailed the Huskies 2-0 at halftime, getting outplayed in every element of the game.
“In the first half, I thought we were very passive,” Governor Livingston head coach Bruno Somma said. “We let [Matawan] get the ball, we gave them a lot of space and time and they capitalized on it.”
Full Coverage of Matawan-Governor Livingston NJSIAA Central, Group 2 First Round Here