5 THOUGHTS FROM THE RED BANK CATHOLIC, MIDDLETOWN SOUTH SHOWDOWN

The highly-anticipated rematch between the Middletown South girls soccer team and Red Bank Catholic occurred on Oct. 4 at Count Basie Field in Red Bank. Earlier this season, Middletown South defeated Red Bank Catholic 2-0 on Sep. 14 at Middletown South High School. And Wednesday afternoon’s rematch feel like a postseason game between two potential Shore Conference title contenders, especially when the game went into double overtime and ended in a 2-2 tie. Here are five quick thoughts after watching this game. Is the Class B North division the best in the Shore Conference? With three teams (No. 2 Wall, No. 8 Middletown South and No. 9 Red Bank Catholic) all currently ranked in the latest Asbury Park Press top 10 with a combined record of 26-6-5, you could certainly make a very strong case for the Class B North division. Girls Soccer: Class B North boasts several squads in rankings after Week 3 Here is the season series between the teams. Middletown South is 1-0-1 against Red Bank Catholic. Wall is 1-0-1 against Middletown South. Wall is 1-0 against Red Bank Catholic with that rematch scheduled for Oct. 10. Is Middletown South’s Gabby Cook the best goalie in the Shore Conference? At 5-foot-11 with long arms and exceptional vertical and horizontal range, which she displayed against Red Bank Catholic’s powerful offense, Middletown South’s Gabby Cook is in the conversation of the top goalies in the Shore Conference. She made 12 saves against Red Bank Catholic and many of them were at point-blank range and Red Bank Catholic coach Frank Lawrence said she kept the Eagles in the game. The Middletown South defense deserves some props After jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first half, Middletown South surrendered two goals in the second half, which forced overtime and ultimately double overtime. If this was a postseason game, there would have been a round of penalty kicks to decide the winner. Middletown South coach Megan Barry gave high praise to her starting defenders sophomore Filomena Degregorio, sophomore Lindsey Thompson and junior Emily McCarthy. “They (Degregorio, Thompson and McCarthy) come up so big for us every single game playing 80 to 100 minutes. Red Bank Catholic’s forwards are quick and they got good touches and they exploited us a little bit in the back line,” Barry said. “But when you have someone like Gabby Cook in net, you really can’t ask for a better goalie. She makes some super-woman-like saves (in games).” When the Caseys need offense, they are not shy about calling on junior midfielder in games. Wednesday afternoon was just the latest example. Rafaniello scored two breakaway goals in the second half that turned the momentum in Red Bank Catholic’s favor in the second half and into the overtime periods. Red Bank Catholic coach Frank Lawrence is a big fan of Rafaniello's playmaking ability. “And Juliana is a magician with the ball at her feet around people. Once she gets that little bit of space. She doesn’t look fast. But she creates the space and make people miss her and they were kind of mirror-image goals and that’s her,” Lawrence said. “She can score from outside too but she’s so good in that kind of play and knows how to put the ball in the net once she gets past you.” If you don’t have Red Bank Catholic already “penciled” in as one of the postseason contenders, you probably should grab your writing instrument right now and do it. The Caseys won the 2013 Shore Conference Tournament title and have been a threat almost every year since then to do it again. After starting last season 6-6 in their first 12 games, the Caseys rebounded strong in the NJSIAA tournament to win a share of the Non-Public A state title with Oak Knoll and finished the season at 15-10-1. The Caseys have proven recently that they can be strong contenders in the postseason and they are trending in that direction against this season. What’s next? Middletown South travels to Long Branch on Oct. 5 while Red Bank Catholic travels to Monmouth Regional on Oct. 6 Girls Soccer: Middletown South at Red Bank Catholic Red Bank Catholic 2, Middletown South 2 Middletown South (7-2-3, 5-2-3) 2-0-0-0 = 2 Red Bank Catholic (8-3-1, 6-3-1) 0-2-0-0 = 2 Goals: (MS) Thompson (Hutson) 15:42; (MS) Massell (Degregorio) 34:31; (RBC) Rafaniello 53:58; (RBC) Rafaniello (George) 75:22. Saves: (MS) Cook 12; (RBC) Graham 6. Shots: Red Bank Catholic, 17-12