Caseys set to defend their state championship BY VIN RAPOLLA Staff Writer JEFFGRANIT staff RBC's Casey Mahon and Frehold's Kelly Knox collide as they go for the ball during the SCT final inNeptune on Saturday. The Red Bank Catholic Caseys entered the postseason hoping to secure a pair of championships to cap off what has been another stellar season on the soccer pitch. Unfortunately, they fell one win shy of completing the first title run, falling 2-0 to a red-hot Freehold Borough team Saturday night at Neptune High School's Memorial Field. The Colonials, who are playing with some extra motivation this year as their longtime head coach Heshy Moses is set to retire at season's end, got another strong performance from goalie Ashley Lewis. The sophomore collected her 16th shutout of the year in the SCT final and was again clearly a difference maker, coming up with what are becoming routine saves for her, but sensational for others. After the Colonials (17-1) had upended No. 2 seed Middletown North in the semifinals on Oct. 25, Moses told his team if they scored one goal on Saturday, they'd win. Neither he nor anyone else would have thought it would take only 55 seconds. But that's all it took for Alyssa Mayrose to knock in a rebound off an Alexa Rozzi shot that Casey goalie Christy Osborn couldn't handle cleanly. "Coach keeps telling me to get into the box, and tonight it paid off," said Mayrose. Before the first half was over, sweeper Alexandra Eagle, again following the dictates of her coach, put the game out of reach, putting in a header off Amy Flanagan's well-placed corner kick. "I'm not really a scorer," she said. "Since last year, coach has been telling me to go up for corner kicks on offense and head the ball. "I didn't think about it, I just headed it, and it went in," she added about her goal at 37:39 that put the Colonials up 2-0. The two first-half goals were a very bad sign for the Caseys (13-4-1), who were playing with the strong blustery wind to their backs. If they couldn't dent the Colonial defense with the aid of the wind, what were they going to do against the best defense in the Shore without it? Answer, nothing. The Caseys did have some chances in the first half, but Lewis was always there. At the 21:00 mark, she absolutely stoned RBC's Fran Yaccarine, who had gotten through to the goal box only to have her shot stopped by a diving Lewis. The Colonials' success on defense was nothing new (they did not allow a goal in four SCT games). With the disappointing loss still fresh on their minds, the Caseys now turn their attention to the state tournament, where, for obvious reasons, they like their chances. "We have to get refocused after the (SCT) loss. We were outplayed and made some mistakes," said head coach Ken Santos. "My job is to get the team ready to play. I like our chances in the tournament. "Last year we tied in the state finals, and were co-champions to the number-one team in the state," added Santos. "We played well and did great in the finals. We're trying to get back there and not share it." The Caseys start state tournament play today against Bishop Ahr. RBC is the third seed in the Non-Public South A bracket, while Bishop Ahr is the sixth seed. The winner of today's game will get the winner of the No. 1 Holy Spirit vs. No. 8 Paul VI game on Monday. "If we play the way we did at the end of the season and in the Shore Conference tournament, we'll be hard to beat," said Santos. "We just can't make the same mistakes we made in the Sore Conference Tournament. We've got to keep teams shut out and seal the game." "We've beat many of the teams in the tournament two out of the last three years, so that gives us confidence," added Santos. "I think we can come out of the South region." Notes... The Caseys are one of several local teams starting state tournament play this week. The Ocean Spartans got their run at a Central Jersey Group III title off to a fast start with a 5-0 win over Nottingham on Monday. Ocean, the sixth seed, will take on third-seeded Hopewell in the next round today. Patty Yau had the hat trick for the Spartans (14-6-1) on Monday, while Rachel Auerbach and Erica Mazza also scored. On the other side of the CJ III bracket, Red Bank Regional, the 12th seed, saw its season come to a close with a 3-1 loss to Hightstown on Monday. The Bucs finished 10-9 on the year. Both Shore Regional (seeded second) and Rumson-Fair Haven (seeded sixth) start their CJ II title chases today, with Shore taking on Delaware Valley Regional and RFH traveling to New Providence. If they both advance, they will face each other in the section semifinals on Monday. In boys action, both St. John Vianney (seeded second) and CBA (seeded eighth) open their Non-Public South A play tomorrow, with Vianney hosting Camden Catholic and CBA traveling to top-seeded Notre Dame. The CJ III tournament started on Tuesday, with fourth-seeded Ocean hosting Hightstown, and 12th-seeded Monmouth Regional traveling to Monroe to take on the No. 5 seed. Second-seeded Long Branch had a first-round bye and will host either Lawrence or Hamilton North tomorrow. In CJ Group II action, Shore Regional and Rumson-Fair Haven faced each other on Tuesday, with the winner to travel to second-seeded Somerville on Saturday.