LINWOOD — The Mustangs scored a goal in each half to top the Red Raiders 2-1 in a Cape-Atlantic League boys soccer game Sept. 10.
Fresh off a 1-0 win over Egg Harbor Township, Mainland Regional High School played host to Ocean City High School, leveling its record at 2-2.
The Mustangs came out organized and stringing passes together in the attacking half, but were thwarted again and again until Mason Brummett powered a header into the back of the net in the 23rd minute on a hot, sunny afternoon.
Senior Jaxon Serra, playing at right back, sent a high, arcing ball into the box. Raider goaltender Aiden McHale left his line to try to catch it, but the ball sailed just over his outstretched hand and right to Brummett, who had an open net and made it count.
Brummet, a junior from Northfield, said he was thinking “just get up and win it in the air.”
“If the goalie’s out, the net’s open. So if you win it, it’s going in because there’s nobody to stop it,” he said.
Brummet said he usually plays on the backline but was moved up to striker because Ty Pierce was injured. He now has a goal and an assist in the past two games.
“We put him up there and he generated a scoring chance right away — makes his coach look good, so he’s in my favor,” head coach Alex Weidman said. “He’s been preparing in both positions in case we needed him, and today we needed it and he did it, so that’s ideal.”
Ocean City’s Quinn Olek scored the equalizer less than 4 minutes into the second half, sending a cross into the box from the right side that was deflected by a Mainland player, past senior goaltender Brandon Dionicio and into the net.
Olek, who scored the team’s only goal this season, said the young Red Raiders have struggled.
“We’re going to get there; it’s just step by step. This first goal is going to go a long way,” he said.
The goal sparked the offense into a better performance in the second half, but the Mustangs regained their shape and composure and were able to score the go-ahead goal.
With less than 12 minutes to play, sophomore Zak Simon sent a ball in from the left corner that found senior Broer Linblad alone in front of the net for the game-winning goal.
“The cross came in, I found myself wide open — wasn’t expecting that. Just saw me and the goalie and I just knew I had to put it away. Just kicked it, went bottom corner,” Linblad said of his first varsity goal.
Linblad said the 0-2 start was not what the team wanted but that he was happy to beat rivals Egg Harbor Township and Ocean City in back-to-back games.
“I’m happy how we’re going,” he said.
Dionicio agreed.
“It started off a little slow, but now we’re getting in the groove. Now everybody’s more confident,” he said.
The Raiders struggled to maintain possession and committed numerous fouls. Kaius Sypalis and Oliver Prajner each earned a yellow card for rough play during the match.
Ocean City fell to 0-3 after a 3-0 loss to Egg Harbor Township and an 8-0 loss to perennial power St. Augustine Prep.
Coach Kevin Nuss took over last season, going 14-8 overall and 7-5 in the CAL American Division. He said his team is very young after graduating a lot of seniors in the spring.
“You look at EHT, you look at Prep, you look at Mainland, they have one, two sophomores on their roster all together. We have eight freshmen and sophomores in our starting lineup,” Nuss said. “We’re going to have to build and grow as a program.”
He took heart from showing they could compete with Mainland.
“We have a very good group of guys, and we’re going to continue to play as a team and we’re going to have guys step up one game here, one game there. But everything we have to do, we have to do together,” Nuss said.
Asked about his coaching philosophy, he said he prefers to play possession and control the ball but noted that is not always possible.
“You have to coach to the players that you have. You have to look at what the skill set is and you have to coach to them and allow them to play the way that they can play,” he said. “Right now we’re a young team that’s maybe not athletically as gifted as other teams because we’re young and inexperienced.”
The Mustangs opened the season with two straight losses, 2-1 to Gloucester Tech and 2-0 to Hammonton, before securing the win against the Eagles, who went to the quarterfinals of the NJSIAA South Jersey Group IV tournament last season.
Weidman led Mainland to a 10-7-2 record last season, losing in the quarterfinal round of the South Jersey Group III playoffs 2-1 to Moorestown. He was pleased to get his team back to .500 with wins against two rivals.
“Those are two programs I respect a bunch,” he said, noting the Mustangs had not beaten EHT since 2018. “So that one felt really, really validating for us. All the hard work that these guys have been putting in, I’m very proud of our boys’ resolve to fight back and get to 2-2, especially against two rivals in the same week, three days apart.”
Asked about his promising goal scorers, he said there still are a lot of moving pieces.
“I think it’s going to be dependent on the game. We got a bunch of new guys playing up there. Today, Mason Brummett was great up there for us, but he plays a couple different spots. We were missing Ty Pierce today, who scored the winner against EHT. I think he’s probably our most dangerous player up there. He’s got great leadership and maturity.”
Weidman said Luke Napoli and Linblad have been playing well in the midfield.
“Luke’s been playing for us for three years now. He’s a solid midfielder, steady midfielder. He’s working through a little bit of an ankle injury, but he’s just tough as nails. I think we got a couple guys that pound for pound are really, really good, and there’s not much better than Luke.”
He said Linblad is “one of our stud center midfielders. He controls the game so much, and him and Luke together are quite the tandem.”
On the defensive side of the ball, he said Dionicio is holding his own between the pipes.
“Brandon’s doing a really nice job for us. He’s steadying himself as one of the top goalies in the league, and he leads us from the back there and steadies us and makes some great saves, bails us out at times,” Weidman said.
He called Serra “maybe one of the best outside backs in the league.”
“He definitely is a weapon for us and also a great defender. So, you know, we love having him,” Weidman said.
He added that Nick Rosato has been playing a lot at left back and Elliot Slotkin is playing well at center back.
“So those guys are really steadying us and starting to find their own rhythm here and giving up one goal in two rivalry games. I’m proud of them,” Weidman said.
The Mustangs’ next game is at 4 p.m. Sept. 16 at Cedar Creek. Mainland follows that up with a visit to Jackson Township on Sept. 17 and will return home to host Vineland on Sept. 22.
The Red Raiders (0-4-1)continued their road trip with a 2-1 loss to Vineland Sept. 12 and a 2-2 draw against Cedar Creek Sept. 14. They host Williamstown at 10 a.m. Sept. 19 and Hammonton on Sept. 22.
– STORY by CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
– PHOTOS by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
