Set pieces the key as Madison stays unbeaten

MADISON Timothy Azzolini almost shrugged when talking about Madison's defenders getting involved in the offense in a 3-2 defeat of Parsippany on Thursday afternoon. Azzolini, a senior center back, scored the game-winning goal off a corner kick with five minutes to play.

It was the Dodgers' second goal from a defender. The other — plus a pair of assists — came from sophomore midfielder J.P. Schuenke.

Though this was a matchup of undefeated squads, host Madison (4-0-1) put the pressure on early. Schuenke scored off a flicked throw-in just seven minutes into the match, and the Dodgers just kept on shooting.

"I'm always trying to get one early," Schuenke said. "That's the best way to start. Be aggressive."

Parsippany (4-1), meanwhile, didn't have a shot on goal until 10:02 remained in the first half. But junior Justin Jennings made the most of his limited opportunities.

Jennings broke through Madison's back line and went one-on-one with the goalkeeper. His goal changed the momentum with nine minutes left before halftime. Jennings tied the match midway through the second half. Junior midfielder Anthony Caccavale made a long run, shooting the ball off the ground and up to the underside of the crossbar. Jennings ran in and pounced on the second-chance opportunity.

"We were optimistic because we were undefeated," Jennings said. "We had a rough start. After we scored the first goal, we got momentum. I felt like we had a real chance of coming back."

But the aggressive Dodgers were still able to string passes together, weaving through Parsippany's midfield with shouts of "House." The meaning of the code word differs based on whom you ask, possibly "man on" or "go toward the middle of the field."

Madison senior defender Jackson Thompson dashed back to make a game-saving clearance off the line with nine minutes to go.

"We practice (set pieces) all the time," Azzolini said. "We get used to scoring them. When it comes to game time, we do what we do in practice and finish."

Staff Writer Jane Havsy: 973-428-6682; jhavsy@gannettnj.com; www.dailyrecord.com/writerjane/