Saturday, November 10, 2007

By Cory K. Doviak
NJS.com Editorial Director

Rob Santaniello had one of the prettiest goals of the season, a bicycle kick 10 minutes into the second half that gave Ramapo an insurance goal and its fifth sectional title in the last six years.

FRANKLIN LAKES -- It was one of those bad news/good news situations for the Ramapo boys soccer team at halftime of Friday’s North 1, Group 3 State sectional final against Morris Hills. The good news was that Ramapo had all of the play over the first 40 minutes, the best chances on goal and an offense that was sharing the ball and moving it quickly.

The bad news? The Green Raiders hit three posts and a crossbar had only a 1-0 lead to show for its dominance against a team that had the kind of offensive weapon in Rodrigo Santiago who could get Morris Hills, which won its first-ever Morris County Tournament title two weeks ago, even in a hurry.

“The first half was probably the best half of soccer that we have played all year. The ball was zipping all around,” said midfielder John Fiorenzo, Ramapo’s senior captain. “We created a lot of chances, but we were up only 1-0 at halftime and we just had to keep our composure and keep working.”

Ramapo's defense was designed to stop Morris Hills' Rodrigo Santiago.

Tom Breault’s first half goal had Ramapo in front, but Morris Hills did come out of the halftime break gunning for the equalizer and had a golden opportunity when it was granted an indirect kick from inside the penalty area in the 48th minute, but Santiago’s restart hit the wall in front of him and when play went the other way it resulted in the insurance goal that Ramapo needed in a form the Green Raiders’ won’t soon forget.

Off a throw in deep in the corner, Fiorenzo skipped-headed a ball toward the near post where Rob Santaniello lined up a bicycle kick and put it in for the prettiest goal of the season and the one the Green Raiders needed to lock up a 2-0 win and their fifth state sectional title in the last six years.

“Those throw ins from [Phil] Pappas using Fiorenzo, the biggest guy on the team, have been great for us all year. I was just trying to stay behind him, stay on the goalie because if the goalie can’t get the ball we have a chance of scoring,” said Santaniello. “I did it once [a bicycle kick] once in like U-12 soccer, but that was pretty much it. It just happens and once you see the ball something in your mind says lean back and kick it.”

Santaniello, a junior and a natural forward, the position he played in his previous two varsity seasons, was moved to the midfield at the start of this year but has been back up top as Chris Kuehn has moved to the midfield. The switch has helped both players as Kuehn created a wealth of first half chances and was unlucky to come away without a goal.

Chris Kuehn's play in the midfield produced many first half chances.

Kuehn saw a great play by a Morris Hills fullback, sliding in behind the beaten keeper to knock a shot off the post, steal a goal and the left post steal another just two minutes later.

Kuehn, Santaniello and Fiorenzo were the only three players on this year’s side who were on the field two years ago when Morris Hills upset Ramapo, then undefeated and New Jersey’s top-ranked team, in the sectional semifinal on the Raiders’ own home turf. That loss stung then and has not yet been forgotten.

“They upset us when we were No. 1 in the state and it was our only loss of the season. Only three of us were on that team, but that loss was devastating,” said Fiorenzo. “We wanted a little bit of revenge this time even if they didn’t have any players left from two years ago.”

The win was Ramapo’s 18th of the season against just one loss and it will continue on in the state tournament in the Group 3 state semifinal against North 2 champion Parsippany Hills on Tuesday at Indian Hills High School.

“Our kids were diligent with their play today right to the end. They stuck with things that were working and one of the things we wanted to do was to keep good shape because they had the kid No. 10 [Santiago], who is dangerous,” said Ramapo head coach Evan Baumgarten. “We are just happy to see the kids smiling walking off here today because, in the end, that is what it is all about.”

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