Wednesday, November 4, 2009

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

Ben Picache scored off a cross from his brother Nick in the 19th minute to give Northern Highlands the lead for good in a 5-0 win over Tenalfy in the of the North 1, Group 3 state state sectional tournament.

ALLENDALE – In two years under head coach Pat Naughter, Northern Highlands has gone from a team that used to try to just in there against quality opponents to one that looks to hangsome goals on the scoreboard. The Highlanders like to press the issue by constantly attacking. Three weeks ago, Northern Highlands used a strong second half to defeat Tenafly in an independent match.

When the two teams met again on Tuesday in the first round of the North 1, Group 3 tournament, the Highlanders once again had a strong second half, but this time the game had long been decided thanks to the Picache brothers.

Ben and Nick Picache scored minutes apart in the first half. Santiago Raigoza added a pair of second-half goals and sixth-seeded Northern Highlands cruised to a 5-0 victory over No. 11 Tenafly at Northern Highlands High School.

The Highlanders went out on the attack right from the opening whistle. Tenafly’s defense hung tough early behind the play of sweeper Steve Brown, but the Tigers could only hold on for so long and the Highlanders finally broke through in the 19th minute. Nick Picache sent a long cross across to the left side for his brother Ben. The junior striker volleyed a shot past Tenafly keeper Trevor Starer for a 1-0 lead.

Trevor Starer finished with 10 saves for Tenafly, which closed its season with a 7-8-3 record.

“It’s important to score first to keep our confidence high and keep us going in the right direction,” said Ben Picache. “We wanted to get a big lead, so we could relax a little. We knew from the first time we played them that Tenafly was going to make us work. We just had to make sure we worked even harder than they did and put the ball in the net.”

Minutes later, Nick Picache got in on the act by splitting two defenders and drilling a shot in the lower left-hand corner, giving the Highlanders a 2-0 halftime lead.

“We didn’t want to let Tenafly get comfortable and we started knocking the ball around early on,” said Pat Naughter. “I think we were a little too excited in the first few minutes. (Ben) has been great around the box for us lately and he made no mistake about the shot he took on the first goal. Nick then followed with a goal that gave us some breathing room, which let us play more freely.”

Any thoughts of a Tiger comeback were put to rest early in the second half by Raigoza, who scored two goals in the first 12 minutes. He cracked a volley from the top of the box into the lower-right hand corner to make it 3-0. Minutes later, he hit the same shot from almost the identical spot with the same placement, the lower-right hand corner in the back of the net to put the game away.

Nick Pacache and No. Highlands will face Passaic County champion Wayne Valley in the sectional quarterfinals.

“They were all over us right from the beginning and we didn’t have much room to breathe,” said Tenafly head coach Bill Jaeger. “You hope to hang on, win a loose ball, then counterattack because they bring so many players forward. We needed to score a goal early to show that we can compete and win this game. But they won almost every ball in the air, they physically took it to us, and it was hard to fight back.”

Starer finished with 10 saves for Tenafly, which finished the season with a 7-8-3 record. Steve DiBella also scored for Northern Highlands (11-4-1). Zack Bissell and P.J. Abplanalp had assists for the Highlanders. Jake Miller had two saves and Nick Palumbo one to earn the shutout.

With No. 2 seed Ramapo being upset by Northern Valley/Old Tappan yesterday, Northern Highlands’ side of the bracket has opened up considerably, but it is smart enough to look no further than Friday’s North 1, Group 3 quarterfinal match against this year’s Passaic County champion, Wayne Valley.

“All you can do in the state tournament is focus on the team that’s in front of you,” added Naughter. “Wayne Valley is a very technical team and they are strong up the middle. They are Passaic County champs for a reason and they will be ready to play just like are. No matter who we play, I think it’s going to be a great game. From here on out there will be no easy games and we have to come in as focused and as confident as we came out today.”

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