Cougar Weekend: Girls Soccer Rallies for Overtime Thriller, Football Falls at Home
Nicholas Mistretta
MHS ’79 Cougar Sports Correspondent
MONTGOMERY, NJ — Montgomery High School’s fall sports teams continued early-season action with victories in girls tennis, girls volleyball and boys soccer, while the field hockey and girls soccer teams dropped their opening contests despite individual bright spots.
Seamon Hat Trick, Overtime Winner Lift Montgomery Girls Soccer Past North Hunterdon
MONTGOMERY, NJ — Montgomery High School’s girls soccer team erased a two-goal halftime deficit, rallied to force overtime and completed the comeback with a 4-3 victory over North Hunterdon.
The win evened the Cougars’ record at 1-1, while North Hunterdon fell to 0-2.
Montgomery trailed 2-0 at the break before coming alive in the second half with three goals. North Hunterdon also scored once after halftime, sending the game into overtime tied at 3-3.
The Cougars then struck for the deciding goal in the extra period to finish off the comeback.
Emma Seamon led Montgomery’s attack with a hat trick, scoring three of the Cougars’ four goals and finishing with six points.
Amelia Montas added Montgomery’s other goal, while Quinn Donahue played a major role in the comeback with three assists.
Mia Quinn also recorded an assist, continuing her early-season contribution after picking up the first assist of her varsity career in Montgomery’s season opener.
In goal, Ellie Andes made seven saves to help keep the Cougars within striking distance and give the offense an opportunity to rally.
The comeback was particularly significant after Montgomery entered halftime without a goal. The Cougars responded with three in the second half before finding the winner in overtime, showing resilience in earning their first victory of the season.
Old Bridge Pulls Away in Second Half, Hands Montgomery 49-21 Home Loss
MONTGOMERY, NJ — Montgomery High School erased an early two-touchdown deficit and battled Old Bridge to a 21-21 tie by halftime Friday night, but the visitors took control after the break, scoring 28 unanswered points to hand the Cougars a 49-21 loss at home.
The defeat dropped Montgomery to 0-2, while Old Bridge improved to 1-1.
Old Bridge struck first on a 1-yard touchdown run by Chase Rizzo in the opening quarter, then Rizzo added another 1-yard score early in the second to give the visitors a 14-0 advantage.
Montgomery responded with its best stretch of the night.
Zach Furey scored on a 5-yard run, with Miles Dawson adding the two-point conversion to cut the deficit to 14-8.
Old Bridge answered with a big play when quarterback Aiden Rios connected with Amari Alsbrook for a 74-yard touchdown, pushing the lead back to 21-8.
The Cougars refused to let the game get away.
Zach Mutton scored on a 1-yard run to make it 21-14, and Montgomery’s defense then produced the play that brought the home crowd fully back into the game.
Furey intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown, with Mutton adding the extra point to tie the game at 21-21 before halftime.
The momentum shifted quickly after the break.
Old Bridge opened the third quarter with a special-teams touchdown when Prince Asomaing returned a blocked punt 12 yards for a score.
Rios then found Rizzo for a 30-yard touchdown pass before adding a 13-yard scoring run of his own, giving Old Bridge a 42-21 lead by the end of the third quarter.
Danny Kasoff closed the scoring with a 16-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter as Old Bridge completed a 28-point second half.
Montgomery did find success on the ground.
Xavier Harrigan led the Cougars with 93 rushing yards on 10 carries, including a 53-yard run. Mutton added 67 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown, while Furey rushed for 10 yards and a score. Montgomery’s individual rushing totals added up to 183 yards.
Quarterback Kyle Goldstein completed 4 of 12 passes for 70 yards and was intercepted twice.
Furey made an impact on both sides of the ball. In addition to his rushing touchdown and interception return for a score, he was credited with 12 total tackles, including two tackles for loss, along with the interception.
Harrigan added seven tackles defensively.
Old Bridge was led offensively by Rios, who completed 12 of 15 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 51 yards and another score.
Rizzo was a major factor throughout the game, rushing for 101 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries while also catching four passes for 70 yards and another score. Alsbrook finished with four receptions for 109 yards, including the 74-yard touchdown.
For Montgomery, the second quarter showed the Cougars’ ability to respond after falling behind early. They turned a 14-0 deficit into a tie game by halftime, with contributions from the offense and defense.
But Old Bridge’s combination of explosive plays, a special-teams touchdown and three third-quarter scores proved too much after the break, leaving Montgomery still searching for its first win of the season.
Photo Credit: Nick Mistretta/headlinenewsmontgomry.com