Ayden Anderson winner brings Coaches Cup back to Washington Township

Ayden Anderson had heard the chatter about top seed Saint Augustine Prep and had the memory of missing a penalty when he was a sophomore burning in his mind when he stepped onto the field at DeCou Complex in Cherry Hill Saturday night determined to bring the South Jersey Coaches Cup back to Washington Township.

Anderson, a senior forward, did just that, scoring the golden goal in overtime off an assist from classmate Sean Tarsatana to capture Washington Township’s fourth Coaches Cup and first since 2017.

“Sophomore year I missed the penalty to lose this final,” Anderson said. “I told myself before overtime I was going to score the goal and we went out there and won.”

Anderson, who plays MLS Next for Real Futbol Academy, returned to play high school soccer again for his senior year in large part because of what he experienced on Saturday night with his teammates and classmates mobbing him on the field. Anderson’s goal also was the second big goal of the night for his family after his mom, head coach of Paul VI, had celebrated an overtime winner in the first game.

The strike, against Anderson’s club teammate – goalkeeper Matt Carr – broke a stalemate in a fierce defensive battle that looked like it was destined for penalty kicks.

“I’m still catching my breath, it’s been a whirlwind,” Minutemen head coach Ed McCusker said following the celebration. “I’m just so proud of the boys, especially in this game and everyone who came out to support. Everyone’s bought in, everyone’s locked in.”

McCusker won the Coaches Cup as a junior and a senior under head coach Ed Snyder before a successful career as a four-year starter at Saint Joseph’s University. He returned to his alma mater to teach and coach soccer and is in his second year as the head coach.

“It’s definitely more nerve-wracking, I can tell you that,” McCusker said of coaching in the final. “But this is what high school sports is all about. You have the lights, the crowd and the boys playing for something bigger than themselves.”

Tarsatana, the Minutemen’s leading scorer the past two seasons, nearly had the game-winner himself on a free kick in the first overtime period that was deflected just wide of the mark. He played the ball to Anderson in transition that sealed it.

“This group is everything to me,” Tarsatana said. “They’ve been my best friends for my whole life but especially they’ve made high school the most memorable.”

The win was the 8th straight for the Minutemen, who haven’t been tripped up since a 4-1 loss to Shawnee in the second game of the season. That followed a 2-2 draw with Schalick to open the year. They’ve been unbeaten in 20 games since with a pair of draws and 18 wins. Their quest for more hardware begins Tuesday as they host Central Regional in the first round of the sectional playoffs at 2 p.m.