As the state playoffs approached, the 2025 season appeared to be a classic rebuilding year for Freehold Township.
It was understandable. The Patriots had graduated some of the program’s all-time greats over the last few years, iconic players who led them to multiple Group 4 state championships and the No. 1 ranking in New Jersey. At a public school, that kind of run just doesn’t last forever.
But throughout the regular season, head coach Dave Patterson saw his mix of talented underclassmen and savvy veterans and knew they had the potential to accomplish great things. They just needed to take that first step. To gain confidence. To see what their coaches saw in them all along.
It finally began to click during the NJSIAA tournament, and on Saturday night, Freehold Township put it all together at the absolute perfect time.
Junior defender Sihera Karce scored on a long-distance shot in the 27th minute and junior goalkeeper Violet Matthews delivered a brilliant 11-save performance as sixth-seeded Freehold Township shocked top-seeded Manalapan, 1-0, to win the Central Jersey Group 4 sectional title.
Manalapan, ranked No. 5 in the NJ.com Top 20, entered the final with a 20-0 record in search of its first sectional title since 1998. The Braves had defeated Freehold Township 4-1 during the regular season. They had lost four straight sectional finals coming in, and with a senior-laden roster, looked to end that drought against one of their bitter rivals. Instead, the Patriots broke their hearts with an improbable victory that secured the program’s sixth sectional title, all since 2015.
Freehold Township will play at South Group 4 sectional champion Cherokee in the Group 4 semifinals, tentatively scheduled for Wednesday in Marlton. Cherokee defeated Central Regional 1-0 to win its first sectional title on Friday night.
“I’m just so happy right now, I can’t believe we just did that,” Matthews said. “We were the underdogs and we had nothing to lose. All we had to do was go out there and want it, and that’s exactly what we did. I’m so proud of this team.”
“It’s the most indescribable feeling,” Karce said. “One of our coaches was telling us about the Giants in the Super Bowl, and he said, ‘I just want you to be the Giants against the Patriots’. I’m just so happy that we won.”
Manalapan controlled possession for the majority of the game and finished with a 25-5 advantage in shots attempted. The Braves applied pressure relentlessly, but Matthews made a handful of outstanding saves and the back line held on just enough with timely steps and selfless plays to do whatever it took to keep Manalapan at bay for 80 grueling minutes.
“Manalapan is a great team with a ton of talent all over the place,” Patterson said. “Our defenders dug deep, our midfielders dug deep and Violet was incredible in goal.”
Manalapan had a few corner kicks and quality looks over the first 20 minutes, but it was Freehold Township that struck for the game’s first and only goal with under 15 minutes to play in the first half. Karce is typically a center back for the Patriots, but was shifted up in the formation to play as a defensive center midfielder midway through the first half. She rarely has an opportunity to put a shot on frame, much less score a goal. As she gathered the ball from over 30 yards out, she decided to go for it.
“Honestly, I just saw the goal, had the ball and had space and said, ‘You know what, I’m going to shoot it’,” Karce said. “I thought it was going to go straight over. I was so shocked. I play center back, so I never thought I would score a goal.”
Her first varsity goal could not have come at a better time.
“All year long we’ve been preaching that you have to pick your head up, you have to take a look, and if you have a clean shot you have to take it,” Patterson said. “Sihera did just that. She picked her head up, saw space, hit ball, and it was true.”
The Patriots had the lead, but their work was far from over. Manalapan continued to own the possession battle and generate shots, but Matthews was in rhythm and stonewalling anything sent her way. She made the biggest save of her career in the 35th minute when Manalapan senior Daniella Butash lined up for a direct kick from 25 yards out. The Monmouth University commit struck a laser that was on target, but Matthews dove up and to her left to make a sensational save that preserved Freehold Township’s lead.
“I set up my wall and I said to myself that I’m going to see the ball and I’m going to give it my all,” Matthews said.
Matthews made another massive save in the 65th minute off a scramble in front of the goal. The ball was bouncing around as Freehold Township furiously tried to clear it away, but a Manalapan player was able to put it on goal from inside the six. Matthews was down on the ground but managed to make a kick save to deflect the ball wide and out of bounds.
“I was just trying to get it out and it came at me and I was literally in the splits,” Matthews said. “My foot got on it, thank goodness.”
A few minutes later, a Manalapan player got behind the defense inside the 18-yard box. Matthews made a quick read and came off her line to slide out and knock the ball away. In the closing minutes, she punched a corner kick out of harm’s way to thwart another Manalapan scoring opportunity.
“She was definitely reading the angles well, and early on wasn’t having to make diving saves,” Patterson said. “They were kind of coming right to her and she was super clean, and she found that rhythm; she found that confidence. And when the shots became more difficult, she was ready for them and found a way to get it done.”
Manalapan hit the crossbar with eight minutes left and had the ball deep in Freehold Township’s end for most of the final five minutes. But, as they had all night, the Patriots’ defenders found a way to keep one of the state’s top offenses from scoring.
“There were so many people who were helpful on that back line,” Patterson said. “It starts with (seniors) Gianna Neron and Christina Celano, who were truly amazing at stepping in front of balls and getting toe pokes. Keeley Cook and Sihera were amazing. We had Bella Rosen, who helped out on the outside. Maddie Reiser, Rachael Marsella. They were all incredible on the back line. And the midfield had to drop back and help out, too. They put it together as a team today.”
Freehold Township is a program that has earned the benefit of the doubt for all that it has accomplished over the last decade. But even for the Patriots, a sectional title this season seemed like a stretch, considering they had lost four straight games entering the state tournament. Saturday’s result proved that it’s never too late to turn things around.
“They found a way about two weeks ago,” Patterson said. “We changed the formation again, had some different personnel move around, and we played that first way against Steinert in a game we actually lost, but we saw a lot of things we liked. Each day we came out to training, they bought in a little more and understood a little more. Then they won, and they won again, and they started to believe in themselves. For them to be able to get these four in a row and get this sectional championship, and the way they did it, I can’t be more proud of what they’ve done.”
Box Score
6-Freehold Township 1, 1-Manalapan 0
| 1 | 2 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freehold Township (10-10-2) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| No. 5 Manalapan (20-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
GOALS – Freehold Township: Sihera Karce, 27′.
SAVES – Freehold Township: Violet Matthews, 11; Manalapan: Aryanna Lake, 1.
SHOTS – Manalapan, 25-5.
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