By Rich Chrampanis
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP – The final high school soccer game of the season in New Jersey saw Shore Regional hoist the trophy and a special celebration at Franklin High School. The Blue Devils outlasted Verona 2-1 to capture the Group 1 state championship.
Senior Jenna Eichenbaum scored both goals with right-foot blasts that were among the best goals scored in two days of soccer in the state finals. Her first goal came in the 36th minute on a right-wing run that saw her fire a shot that pierced the net to give Shore a 1-0 halftime lead.
In the 52nd minute, Eichenbaum had a free kick from 25 yards out. She connected with the ball perfectly, curving it into the upper left-hand corner, leaving the goalie standing still.
“One of them is obviously going to go in,” Eichenbaum said. “I’m really excited and I was just thinking to shoot. Anytime I get to shoot, I shoot and I made it and I won us a state championship.”
Verona made it a 2-1 match on an Emerson Garrett goal. Garrett nearly tied the match when she hit the crossbar later in the second half but Shore’s backline and keeper Sydney Tilton held their ground to secure the state title.
“I knew we were gonna keep them on hold,” Eichenbaum said. “We’re a good team. I have full confidence in my defense and Sydney. She’s an amazing goalie and has so much potential in front of her.”
The Shore Conference’s switch to World Cup-style qualifying for the conference tournament has produced an interesting backstory. Shore Regional did not qualify for the SCT knockout round and instead went to the Coaches Cup, a single-elimination tournament for the teams that didn’t crack the Top 24. The Blue Devils won the tourney 3-0 over Freehold Boro. The confidence of that run carried right over to the Group 1 state playoffs. A PK win over Haddon Township in the state semifinals earned a trip to Franklin and set the stage for winning it all.
A Family Legacy
Eichenbaum closed out her senior season with 30 goals, scoring 69 goals and 24 assists in her magnificent high school career. She joined her two older siblings as Shore soccer state champs. Maxx Eichenbaum was on Shore Regional’s 2023 boys soccer state championship squad while Julia Eichenbaum won three state titles in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Maxx had 23 goals and 15 assists in his Shore career, while Julia had an amazing 107 goals and 49 assists over four years.
When you add it all up, the Eichenbaum family was part of five state championship teams, scoring 160 times and dishing out 88 assists.
“My older sister, my brother, now I’m even with them. Not fully my older sister, she has three,” Jenna said. “But still a great feeling. I feel amazing. Now I’m going to celebrate it with my team and I’m very excited.”
Adding to the Shore Soccer Legacy
This is Shore Regional’s sixth state girls’ soccer championship. The Blue Devils enjoyed a three-peat from 2015-2017. Eight years later, the 2025 Shore girls left their mark on one of the state’s most consistent Group 1 programs.
“I’m very sentimental,” Eichenbaum said. “It’s been a very long four years.
I’ve been waiting for this for so long and, you know, it’s an amazing feeling. I am very proud of my team, where we’ve come from, from the beginning of the season ’til now, and we just worked so hard to get to where we are now and we finally just put it in the bag and won. This is what we’ve been working for, training for, and we’ve honestly just worked together.”
The article originally appeared in the November 27 – December 3, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
