EWING, N.J.-- The Central Jersey Spartans played the role of spoiler on Sunday afternoon, upsetting Reading United AC 3-2 at Lions Stadium on the campus of The College of New Jersey. With a win, Reading (12-2-2) would have taken the Mid-Atlantic Division crown for the third straight year, but are now forced into a play-in game for their postseason fate this week.  The Spartans (4-8-4) closed out their 2011 campaign by recording points in seven of their final 10 matches.
"It was nothing more than the boys deserved," said Central Jersey’s second-year head coach Sam Nellins. "It’s a nice way to finish the season."
The Spartans did not waste time setting the tempo, as defender Gregory Cochrane gained the left wing on a well-timed run. He dribbled untouched into the far-side of the 18-yard box and played a low, hard cross toward the penalty spot. Central Jersey forward Antoine Hoppenot was there to meet it and guide it in for his team-leading fifth goal of the summer to put the Spartans up 1-0.
Both goalkeepers controlled the large majority of the rest of the first half. Reading’s Brian Holt turned away three shots on the day, while Spartans goalie Zach Carr came up clutch with eight saves.
In the 43rd minute, Central Jersey added some insurance. Midfielder Brayan Martinez zigzagged through three defenders and found himself in a two-on-one situation. He played a left-footed ball to defender R.J. Allen at the top of the 18, and with a nifty sliding kick he beat Holt to extend the Spartans lead to 2-0.
On the match, the Spartans would outshoot Reading 10-9, but the action was far from over following intermission. Martinez recorded a tally of his own in the 63rd minute as Allen returned the favor by finding him in a breakaway situation in front of an empty net to balloon Central Jersey’s advantage to 3-0.
Reading would not go down without a fight. Substitute forward Chris Wheeler scored on a 16-yard shot in the 71st minute and midfielder Stephen Okai would complete a brilliant one-two exchange with Christian Barreiro in the 74th minute to quickly make the score line 3-2 in favor of the Spartans.
"We certainly made it difficult on ourselves,’ Nellins said. "We had them worked out and were getting chances. It was well-played on our end in the first half and getting that third goal was huge. They’re a championship-level team so we expected them to make a push."
Carr would make a flurry of saves in the final 10 minutes to hold off that Reading surge and send Central Jersey to its second win over Reading in the home finale in as many years.
Stay tuned for more information about the Central Jersey Spartans and their players during the Premier Development League offseason by visiting http://www.cjspartans.com.
"We wish all of them luck in their college seasons," Nellins said.