Wednesday, November 16, 2011

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

Tokio Nakamoto after making one of his two penalty kicks for Waldwick, which won its spot in the Group 1 state final by taking out Glen Ridge in a shootout on Tuesday night in Oakland.

OAKLAND – Playing through 100 grueling minutes of soccer against a tough side would surely test the will of any team. But having come so far over the course of a season and having already been successful in a penalty-kick shootout, Waldwick's strong senior leadership made sure that the Warriors' dream season will stay alive right down to the last day of the season.

Zach Neugebauer made two big saves and both Eric Christiansen and Tokio Nakamoto each scored on both of their penalty kick attempts as Waldwick pulled its fourth consecutive postseason upset with a 1-0 (5-4 pks) victory in the Group 1 semifinals over North 2, Group 1 champion Glen Ridge on Tuesday night at Indian Hills High School in Oakland. The Warriors will play for the program's first state title since 1995 on Sunday at The College of New Jersey.

“This was some game between two great teams and I guess it just had to be decided in penalty kicks,” said Waldwick head coach Jon Nochese. “We were here against Verona (the No. 1 seed in the North 1, Group 1) and scored on all five of our shots to knock them off. It wasn’t as easy tonight, but we when you have a goalie back there like Zach, you feel confident that you’ll find a way to win.”

Mike Weston and Glen Ridge finished the season with a 15-3-3 record.

Although there were no goals scored in the 100 minutes of action between these two sectional champions, there was action and plenty of scoring opportunities throughout for both sides.

Midway through the first half off a Glen Ridge corner, Neuegebauer made a point-blank save and Christansen, the team’s sweeper, blocked another shot from close range. Waldwick’s best chance came six minutes later from Rikuo Nakamoto, who was the most dynamic player on the field all match long. He settled a cross on his chest then bent a volley just over the crossbar.

“(Rikuo Nakamoto) was as good of a midfielder as we faced all year,” said longtime Glen Ridge head coach Steve Reitberger. “The way he controlled the ball allowed them to be successful and get some quality scoring opportunities.”

The best two scoring chances in the second half came from the Ridgers. From long range, Robbie Brandell’s shot just missed the upper right-hand corner. Then with just under seven minutes to play, Neugebauer made the biggest play of the game.

Eric Christiansen helped Waldwick into the state final for the first time since 1995.

Rikuo Nakamoto was prepared to rip a shot from 25 yards out, but Dane Lamendola came out of nowhere to block it with a slide tackle. The ball shot all the way out past midfield where Glen Ridge’s leading scorer, Jamie Smith (who scored the game-winner with 4:40 left in Glen Ridge’s 1-0 win over Harrison to win the North 2 Group 1 crown), for a clean breakaway. He dribbled all the way inside the box before letting loose a low-liner headed for the lower left-hand corner. Neugebauer reacted and got enough of his right hand on the ball to knock it away and send the game into overtime.

“That is about as good of a save under those circumstances as I’ve seen here in my years here,” added Nochese, in his 15th season at the helm. “We seem to be making big plays at the biggest moments and that’s what you need to keep advancing as you go deeper into the state tournament.”

Neugebauer made a big save on Glen Ridge’s only shot of the two extra sessions early in the first overtime. It turned out to be a prelude of things to come for Neugebauer, who also made a big save in overtime against Verona in the section semifinals before the Warriors won in penalty kicks.

It looked like Waldwick’s good fortune had finally run out when Rikuo Nakamoto stepped up first and GR’s Michael Tringali saved his penalty kick. Neugebauer came to the rescue with a big save on Smith to even things up. After a miss by GR’s Colin Goldstein, Santiago Garzon had a chance to be the hero as he was in Waldwick’s 1-0 win over Wallington last week in the North 1, Group 1 final. But Tringali was there again to come up with a big save to send the thriller into a sudden-death round where a season of hopes and dreams came down to a single kick.

Zach Neugebauer made several hug saves for Waldwick.

“The pressure was definitely on, but that is why you practice penalty kicks every day,” said Christiansen. “It’s so you are mentally prepared and emotionally hardened to handle the situation when it arises.”

Christiansen buried his penalty kick, but Brandell answered. Tokio Nakamoto was next and scored for the second time in the penalty kick round to put the pressure back on the Glen Ridge (15-3-3). Neugebauer and the Warriors caught a break when the Ridgers’ final attempt banged off the crossbar and the Waldwick faithful poured onto the field in celebration.

“It’s not ideal, but there’s no other way to end it than PKs,” added Reitberger. “In any big game, you’re going to get three or four chances to put one away and you have to make it count. We actually had more than three or four chances, but we either didn’t capitalize and their keeper made some great saves. Of course we would have liked to move on and we’re disappointed that we aren’t. But make no mistake about it, that’s a real good club over there. They are well-coached, they have a good game plan and we wish them well moving forward.”

Waldwick will play for its first Group 1 state title in 16 years on Sunday against South Jersey Group 1 champ Haddon Township, a 2-1 winner last night over Point Pleasant Beach. That game will be played the College of New Jersey at 4:00 P.M.

Having faced all the adversity a team could face over the past few months, and especially the past few weeks, only 80 minutes separates this team from turning the improbable goal into the achievable milestone. Something this senior class wants to do for so many other senior classes that never got the opportunity.

“We’ve come this far, so I don’t see why we can’t take that one final step,” added Christiansen. “When we lost to Midland Park in the section semifinals last year, we saw how disappointed the seniors were to go out like that and it was a terrible feeling. We don’t want to our season to end with that same bitter taste. It’s been an up-and-down season, but we’re peaking at the right time. Now it’s down to one game and everything we have done this year has prepared us for that game, so we’ll be ready.”

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