Wednesday, November 19, 2008

By Cory K. Doviak
NJS.com Editorial Director

Josh Plump's wind-blown first half goal stood up as the game-winner as Millburn knocked off Ramapo, 1-0, in the Group 3 state semifinals.

OAKLAND -- With the wind blowing steadily in a singular direction for the full 80 minutes, there was more than a slight chance that the jet stream howling down the middle of the pitch at Indian Hills High School was going to make a difference in the outcome of Tuesday afternoon's Group 3 state semifinal. So when Millburn's Josh Plump got a service up into the wind from the corner midway through the first half, it was trouble from the moment it left his foot.

What started as a service to no one in particular turned into the game-winning goal in Millburn’s 1-0 win. Under normal conditions, Plump’s cross might have sailed over everybody jockeying for position inside the 18, but the wind grabbed it and pushed it into the side net inside the opposite post.

“Honestly, it wasn’t even a shot. I got it on the side and I knew the wind was strong so I figured I would whip one in,” said Plump, Millburn’s senior striker. “It got caught in the wind and just flew in.”

Ramapo's Mike Berardo getting involved with Millburn sweeper Chris Benedict (7).

With the lead and without the wind at its back in the second half, Millburn (22-2) surrendered the possession advantage it enjoyed over the first 40 minutes, but its defense never gave up an open look at an equalizer as it hung on for the win and a spot in Saturday’s Group 3 state final where it will take on Moorestown, a 2-0 over West Windsor North.

For Ramapo, it was a disappointing end to a stellar season that saw the Green Raiders win the Bergen County championship just two days ago and they had not lost a game heading into the state semifinal. The first loss of the season spelled the end of it.

“That’s sports. That’s why we get the opportunities to learn these lessons through sports, which can be great life lessons at times,” said Ramapo head coach Evan Baumgarten. “It was a great season, we enjoyed it. Today they got one in the first half and I don’t even know if [Plump] meant to shoot it, if it was a shot or a cross. With 25-mile-an-hour wind, it just blew it in.”

With the combination of the wind working in its favor and Millburn’s defense packed in to protect the lead in the final 20 minutes, most of the game was played on Ramapo’s offensive half. The Green Raiders made plenty of forays in deep, but the Millers did well in getting defenders around the ball in the final third. That left Ramapo little space in close, but with plenty of chances on restarts to seek out the equalizer.

Rob Santaniello is one of eight senior starters that led Ramapo to a 20-1-2 record.

With 12:34 remaining in the game, Will O’Connor stepped over a restart from about 40 yards out and it found its way to Mike Berardo, who moved it along in the air across the crease. Tommy Breault got up and got a head on it, but the flick floated wide to the right. Off a corner kick two minutes later, O’Connor got a head on Rob Santaniello corner kick, but this time the result was wide right.

There were three throw-ins from the right side in the final seven minutes that Breault sent in for consideration, but each one was either cleared out or redirected to the outside of the posts as Ramapo continued to press, but it wasn’t meant to be as keeper Peter Daniels (5 saves) and the rest of the Millburn defense answered every challenge.

“When they were knocking on our doorstep, we had a lot of confidence that Chris Benedict, our sweeper, could boot it out. We knew that if we could come out and get a first half goal that we would be fine,” said Plump. “We came to watch them play [in the Bergen County final] on Sunday and we knew what the field conditions were going to be like.”

So just two days after it won the Bergen County championship on the same field, Ramapo saw its season come to an end with a 20-1-2 record and eight senior starters play their final game.

“We did all we could to win the game, it just didn’t come out in our favor. They got the one lucky goal, the wind took it in and we couldn’t really do anything about it,” said Breault, one of the Raiders’ seniors. “We had a great season, but we are a little disappointed in the end. We wanted to win that state championship.”

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