Delbarton Ends St. Benedict's 57-Game Unbeaten Streak with a Double Overtime Winner

Delbarton had been waiting for this one. In last year's playoffs, St. Benedict's eliminated the Green Wave with one of the best goals New Jersey high school soccer saw all season, and the Grey Bees carried a number one national ranking and a 57-game unbeaten run into Monday's rematch. That run finally came to an end in Morristown. Delbarton beat St. Benedict's 2–1 in double overtime in the North Jersey Non-Public A semifinal, and Cortland Martin was the player who made it happen.

It took only twelve minutes for the game to hand the Green Wave an opening. A back pass from the St. Benedict's defense was played too hard, and Martin, a sophomore, stepped in front of it and finished to give Delbarton a 1–0 lead. It was the first goal St. Benedict's had allowed in more than a month. The lead lasted exactly one minute. Nathaniel Adowa played the ball to Frank Pah, who sent a long pass into the box, and Amadou Hann arrived at full speed to put it away. The two best strikers on the field had each scored, and the game was level at 1–1.

The rest of the first half was a tight and physical fight. St. Benedict's put pressure on Delbarton's back line in the thirtieth minute when a headed ball bounced through the box, and Delbarton cleared it with a well timed slide tackle near the end line. Then the Green Wave began to find chances off set pieces. In the 34th minute, a free kick found its way to Max Horwitz, who had an open net and watched his shot hit the crossbar. Three minutes later, Luca Corbo curled in another free kick that Graham O'Hara had to come out and grab. The teams went into the break tied at 1–1.

The second half was a battle for position, and both goalkeepers were the story. In the 48th minute, Henry Farrell played a ball ahead for Martin, who found space and got a shot off, but O'Hara made the stop. St. Benedict's responded with its own chances. A Leandro Minacho corner kick in the 67th minute was cleared by Vayun Swamy and headed away by Martin. Hann got a shot on frame in the 74th minute after a hard ball into the box took a couple of bounces, and Swamy saved it. With less than two minutes left in regulation, Babacar Seck gathered a loose ball and fired a shot that Swamy turned aside as well. Nothing separated the teams after 80 minutes.

The first overtime was cautious. Minacho tried a long throw-in in the second half of the period, Hann headed it on, and the ball dropped to Swamy. There were no more real chances, and the game went to a second overtime.

It did not last long. Early in the second overtime, Delbarton earned a free kick and Dylan Mazzarella and Luca Corbo set it up. The ball was served in, Max Horwitz got a touch, and Martin was there to finish for his second goal of the afternoon. The Green Wave celebrated in a pile, and a 57-game unbeaten streak was over.

Swamy finished with nine saves for Delbarton, many of them in the second half and in the final moments of regulation. O'Hara made four saves for St. Benedict's, and the Grey Bees outshot the Green Wave 10 to 6 on goal. Martin finished with two goals and Horwitz added the assist on the winner. Delbarton improves to 20-1-1 and moves on to the North Jersey Non-Public A final, where it will host Seton Hall Prep on Thursday in its fourth straight sectional final. St. Benedict's finishes its season at 16-1-1.