Thursday, October 2, 2008

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

Jack Freeman pushed up from his defensive position with less than five minutes to play in the second half and earned a penalty kick that he converted himself to give Ridgewood a 2-1 win, its first over Clifton in at least 20 years.

CLIFTON – Ridgewood is one of Bergen County’s storied boys soccer programs, but it has been a rocky road for the Maroons in the last two seasons. But with head coach Craig Mahler back in charge, the program is back on track and heading in the right direction. Ridgewood is off to a fast start and has its sights set on a berth in the Bergen County Tournament, which could be won or lost in a six-day span that includes three games, all of them on the road.

Sitting at 5-2 with NNJIL heavyweights Clifton, Montclair, and Paramus Catholic on the schedule, Ridgewood likely needed at least one win to ensure its place in the county tournament draw. The prospects for that win were not that promising in the first of those three difficult tests.

Clifton has had the Maroons’ number over the years, so much so that no Ridgewood team had ever beaten Clifton in Mahler’s 12-year tenure, let alone knock off the Mustangs on their all-grass home field. However, one determined senior was about to change all of that.

Jack Freeman possesses the rare skill of a defensive player that can switch gears and become an offensive threat in an instant. Late in a tie game, Freeman saw an opening and carried the ball upfield on a long run. When the Mustangs defense converged on him, he was fouled in the box and awarded a penalty kick. With the game and possibly a county tournament berth on the line, neither Freeman nor Mahler ever had a doubt that the ball was going to go in the back of the net.

Igor Petrovic came off the bench and gave Clifton a 1-0 lead with his goal late in the first half.

Freeman knocked home the PK with 4:30 to play to lift Ridgewood to its first win over Clifton in over two decades with a 2-1 victory at Clifton High School.

“Jack is a special player and he is the one guy I would want up there in that spot,” said Mahler. “We needed Jack to play outstanding today and he did. I think we came out with a lot of intensity in the second half and Jack was the catalyst. His energy really gives us a big lift when we need it.”

Ridgewood started off the game by hustling all over the field and taking it to Clifton early. As the first half wore on though, the Mustangs started controlling the midfield and scoring opportunities soon followed. The Maroons were on their heels, but also on the verge of getting to halftime in a scoreless game until a pair of Stangs gave their team a lift off the bench.

Malcolm Mulong took the ball up the left wing, then cut back across the top of the box, drawing three defenders. He then slipped a pass to Igor Petrovic, who drilled a low-liner off the fingertips of Ridgewood goalie Chris Manke and into the back of the net with 1:35 remaining in the half to put Clifton ahead, 1-0.

“That could have deflated us, but instead we came back even stronger to start the second half,” added Mahler. “I just told the guys to keep doing what we were doing, keep hustling, and we would get a break to get us back in the game.”

Chris Manke was solid in the Ridgewood net as he faced 15 shots.

That break came just over five minutes into the second stanza when a cross by Alex Sommer hit off a Clifton defender and bounded into the net for an own goal that tied the game at 1.

Ridgewood nearly took the lead minutes later when Sommer headed the ball toward what looked like a wide-open net, but Clifton goaltender Anthony Tsouhnikas made a great one-handed save to keep the game knotted at a goal apiece.

The game appeared destined for overtime until Freeman took the ball from Ridgewood’s half of the field and used his speed to carry it all the way into the box. While looking for an open teammate, Freeman was tripped up and the result was a penalty kick.

Without any hesitation, he stepped up and drilled a shot past Tsouhnikas and into the net, giving Ridgewood the lead.

Malcom Mulang was credited with the assist on Clifton's lone goal.

“I don’t let the goalie dictate what I’m going to do, I just step up and hit the shot,” said Freeman. “I make up my mind on where I’m going to go with the kick and I let it go.”

Freeman and Manke anchored the defense, as the Maroons held Clifton without a shot the rest of the way to give Mahler his first-ever victory over Clifton. It was not the result, but the effort of his team that drew the attention of Clifton head coach Joe Vespigiani.

“We didn’t work hard enough for the ball and you can’t get away with that in high school soccer,” said Vespigiani. “We got what we deserved today because we simply got outworked and outhustled. The only thing we can do is regroup and work even harder to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

Clifton (4-2-1) had an edge in shots, 15-10, and corner kicks, 8-5. But possibly the most telling stat is that out of those eight corner kicks, the Mustangs were unable to get a single shot off thanks to a staunch effort from Ridgewood.

“Our goal every game is to be more intense than the other team,” added Freeman, who is also the team’s vocal leader and captain. “We were down a goal at half, but we kept working hard. If you work together and you work hard the entire game, good things tend to happen. This was definitely a big win for our team in terms of the county tournament, but we can’t rest on it. Montclair is always tough and we will need to put forth the same effort to get a win there.”

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