No. 7 Shawnee beats Long Branch in state Group 3 boys soccer semifinal

Shawnee senior midfielder Connor Winters didn’t see his teammate but hearing him was enough. Winters crossed the ball to a wide-open Jacob Santamaria, who tipped it in with 13;45 left as Shawnee defeated resilient Long Branch, 1-0 in a state Group 3 semifinal soccer match in Medford. Shawnee (20-2-1) will face the winner of Rahway/Randolph in Sunday’s state Group 3 championship at Franklin High School. Long Branch, which saw its 10-game win streak halted, finished 12-11. The N.J. High School Sports newsletter is now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now and be among the first to get all the boys and girls sports you care about, straight to your inbox each weekday.