April
30, 2007
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| Meredith Savatsky scored 6:28 into the second half to put the game into running time as third-seeded Northern Highlands advanced to the county semifinals with a 16-3 win over Dwight-Englewood on Sunday on the turf at IHA. | |
WASHINGTON TWP. -- Name a sport, especially a girls sport, and the rivalry is strong...soccer, hoops, softball, lacrosse. Any game, any time Northern Highlands and Ramapo get together on a field or in a gym, it is going to be an intense matchup. So after watching its rival win its quarterfinal tilt in the opener of four games at the Bergen County Girls Lacrosse Tournament on Sunday at IHA, it was the third-seeded Highlanders' turn to set up next weekend's semifinal matchup.
To do that the Highlanders had to get past No. 6 Dwight-Englewood, which they did with efficiency. Controlling possession for most of the 50 minutes, Highlands opened a 5-0 lead less than seven minutes in, stretched it to 10-2 by the half, and put the game into running time on a goal by Meredith Savatsky 6:28 into the second half on the way to a 16-3 win.
“We didn’t look past Dwight-Englewood, we weren’t overconfident because we didn’t know much about them or how good they would be,” said Highlands senior Michaela Corn. “We knew that Ramapo won and that if we won we would play them next, but we had to focus, get the lead early and play hard.”
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| Erica Zendell, Dwight-Englewood's goalkeeper, had a busy day in net and finished with 22 saves. |
And after doing so, they are free to look ahead to next Sunday’s rematch with No. 2 Ramapo, a team the Highlanders lost to, 8-4, in the season opener, but upset in last year’s Final 4 of the county tournament.
“We are excited to play them again. They beat us the first time, so we want another shot,” said Highlands’ Alison Brightly. “It is such a big rivalry in every sport, it seems like it is always their school against our school, and every time we play them it feels like a big game.”
Brightly was just one of the Highlanders who had a big game on Sunday. She scored three goals, Michaela Corn scored three and had three assists, and Savatsky also added three goals.
Evan O’Neill, a sophomore and the Highlands’ leading scorer, led the way with four goals and has already become, in her second varsity season, one of Bergen County’s top offensive players.
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| Michaela Corn scored three goals and added three assists for Northern Highlands. |
“I am involved with every level of Highlands lacrosse, so I have been watching Evan for a long time. When she was in fifth grade at summer camp, my high school girls were helping out and they were watching Evan on the side playing wall ball. All of their mouths were wide open, they were in shock,” said Highlands head coach Tracy Costello. “Last year she played varsity, she was the only freshman, and she really has improved 500-percent from then until now. It took her awhile to get used to the varsity game, but this year she has shocked me, I can’t believe how ready she was to play coming into this year.”
Sunday was an adjustment for Dwight-Englewood, which plays in the Patriot Division consisting of programs of like talent and development. The Lady Bulldogs, who came in winning four of their first five games, took a step up in competition against Highlands and the experience factor showed up early.
“We knew they were going to be a tough test for us. They play a very tough schedule and for us, this was the best team that we have played so far,” said DE head coach Kim Franco. “Some of our problems were our own fault. We didn’t control groundballs, we didn’t maintain possession, but that is also a credit to Highlands. They never let us get going, but we can learn from this and get stronger.”
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| Lorraine Boakye scored both of DE's first half goals. |
Lorraine Baokye scored both of Dwight-Englewood’s first half goals, Courtney Collins added a second half tally and Erica Zendell, the Bulldogs’ goalkeeper, had an outstanding game between the pipes. Under constant pressure, Zendell made 22 saves.
Highlands got single goals from Meredith Hottinger, who also had three assists, Rachel Jacobsen and Jenna Lupinacci and goalie Christina Holmes made 4 saves for the Highlanders, who improved to 6-2 on the season.
Northern Highlands, which was supposed to play Ramapo last Friday before being wiped out by rain, will have regular season games against Indian Hills and Montville this week before finally getting the rematch against Ramapo in next weekend’s Final 4.
This time around, the team’s will be on a more even footing. When Highlands took the field for the season opener it had yet to get out on a field, relegated to the gym and the parking lot by March’s brutal weather.
“The first time we played them we just weren’t ready to fight for groundballs because we had never been on a real field in the preseason. We played them at their place, on their turf field and they had the advantage,” said Costello. “We just have to go in next week and keep in mind that we have the better skills and that we are capable of beating them. Because all of our girls play other sports, they see Ramapo as a powerhouse and they start getting it into their minds that Ramapo is the better team. We have to keep our own confidence up and if we play well I am confident that we can come out as the winner.”
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