HAMILTON — Repetition is usually a good thing in a sport like soccer, but not the way it has been happening to the Nottingham High varsity boys’ soccer team in 2025.
The Northstars have played in six one-goal games this season, including four that went overtime. Every one of those has ended in defeat, including Wednesday’s 4-3 OT loss to Somerville at Jim Wilno Sr. Field.
“This is the first one that didn’t end, 2-1, but it’s always a one-goal deficit,” Nottingham senior back Lester Bracero said. “It’s very frustrating. It’s another game where we’re still stuck making the same mistakes.”
Making the outcome harder to take, the Northstars led three times in the game.
Senior Herbie Addo opened the scoring when he cranked in a pass from Andres Menendez with 24:23 left in the first half.
But nearly two minutes later, Somerville junior Mathías González slid in a pass from senior Denis Music to knot the score.
With 8:34 left in the half, Herbie’s younger brother Phanuel “Eli” Addo, a sophomore, leaped and headed in a free kick from Bracero to put the home side up, 2-1.
Again, two minutes later, the Pioneers tied the game when Nottingham failed to clear a ball in front of its net and Somerville senior Noah Gad knocked it in.
Even though head coach Sean Fitzpatrick’s 3-7 Northstars lost starting junior goalkeeper Alberto Giron (four saves) to an injury shortly before intermission, junior Chris DeLeon (five saves) came on and did a fine job for the remainder of the game to match the Pioneers’ goalkeeping tandem of Andrew Popeck and Yael Zumbado (12 combined saves) most of the way.
“We scored, then they scored,” Bracero said. “We came out with the same mentality in the second half. We took the lead again, then simple mistakes cost us.”
Things turned in Nottingham’s favor once more 10 minutes into the second half when Herbie Addo connected on his second goal of the game (and 10th of the season) off a nice sideline serve from senior Edwin Gregorio.
However, exactly 10 minutes later, the Northstars were whistled for a foul inside the top corner of the box, and a penalty kick was awarded. Senior Benedicto “Benny” Martinez converted the kick, and the game was even at 3-3.
Neither team broke the tie in regulation, but head coach Craig Ferrante’s 3-8 Somerville squad came close on two occasions in the final 20 minutes.
With 7:30 left, Pioneers junior Brady Closterman got in and shot behind DeLeon, only to see Bracero get back to clear the ball from the goal line.
Closterman got an even better shot with 3:46 to go in regulation, ripping a shot on goal that DeLeon dived to knock away.
With the temperatures dropping as quickly as the setting sun late in the first 10 minutes of overtime, Somerville was awarded a free kick near midfield when two players collided. Martinez sent a kick into the box that bounced off a couple of players before González deposited his second goal of the game into the back of the net for the game-winner.
Somerville (3-8) 2 1 1 — 4
Nottingham(3-7) 2 1 0 — 3
Goals: González 2, Gad, Martinez (S), HAddo 2, EAddo (N); Assists: Music 2, Murphy (S), Menendez, Bracero, Gregorio (N).
Shots: 14 (S), 15 (N); Saves: Popeck 7, Zumbado 5 (S), Giron 4, DeLeon 5 (N).
ALLENTOWN 3, MONMOUTH REGIONAL 0
TINTON FALLS — Joe Barber connected on a pair of goals, and Michael Marinello added another, as the Redbirds evened their record with a victory over the Falcons.
Dan Ciodyk was in net for the shutout.
Allentown (5-5) 1 2 — 3
MonmouthReg(3-8) 0 0 — 0
Goals: JBarber 2, Marinello (A); Assists: Laurinaitis, CBarber (A).
Shots: 9 (A), 7 (MR); Saves: Ciodyk 7 (A), Cervantes 6 (MR).
