Wednesday,
September 17, 2014
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Chris Estevez scored with 23 minutes left in the regulation to give Saddle River Day a 1-0 win over Midland Park, its third of the season and as many as it had in the last 5 years combined. |
SADDLE RIVER - Chris Estevez and Robbie Hayman never knew if their time would come. As freshmen starters back in 2011, they were on a Saddle River Day boys soccer team that lost every game it played and scored just 11 goals the entire season. Although the Rebels were more competitive in the past two years and their confidence grew, the results did not follow as quickly.
Now in their senior seasons, Estevez and Hayman have one more chance to taste varsity soccer success. The fruits of their labor are finally paying off as the Rebels are no longer bottom-feeders within their league but a team that is looking for its first-ever county and state sectional tournament berth.
Estevez took a perfect through ball from freshman midfielder Kevin Reilly and poked a shot home with 23 minutes to play. The rock solid play of Hayman, a sweeper, and a pair of key saves from Mike Nova made it stand up and the Rebels equaled their win total of the last five years combined with their third win of the season, a 1-0 triumph, on Tuesday over Midland Park at the Saddle River Day School.
“We’ve worked really hard to get to where we can’t just compete with the teams in our league but beat them,” said Hayman. “It’s a long way from where we were when Chris and I were freshman. So far this has been a really positive season and it’s been fun to win some close games.”
Saddle River Day had the better of possession throughout the first half but had trouble getting the ball to the speedy Estevez because he was tightly marked all game long by Midland Park junior Matt Genao. Reilly had a chance late in the half but his shot was right at Panthers’ keeper Brian Mulligan and the game remained scoreless heading into the second half.
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Brian Mulligan made six saves for Midland Park. |
Estevez made his presence felt more after the break, hitting the crossbar twice in a 45-second span early on before finally getting the breakaway chance he was working for. From just beyond midfield Reilly delivered a through ball just between the sweeper and Genao and into open space. Estevez ran onto it with Genao on his back hip and Mulligan charging out to meet him near the top of the box. The senior striker got enough of his foot on the ball to slide it past Mulligan and into the net in the 57th minute to put the Rebels ahead, 1-0.
“Whenever we transition from defense to offense, I’m always looking for Chris,” said Reilly. “I saw him put his hand up in the air and I knew Chris had the speed to beat him. So I just took a dribble and played him the
ball.”
Outside of Hayman, there is no team in North Jersey that has less experience in the back than Saddle River Day. Jake Lassaw and Mike Nova are guards on the Rebels’ basketball team who only took up soccer recently. Lassaw had never played soccer before this year and Nova had never played goalie in his life before yesterday. Yet, both used their athleticism to make big plays down the stretch.
Lassaw blocked a shot in front and cleared away a corner kicker. On a miscommunication in the box Nova nearly let a 50-yard floating kick bounce over his head and in, but reached back to make a one-handed save at the goal line. Then with eight minutes remaining, the Panthers finally got a quality scoring chance from Tyler Douma in the middle of the box. He hit the shot first-time but Nova dropped down to make save.
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Freshman midfielder Kevin Reilly provided the assist on Saddle River Day's goal. |
“I thought we played much better in the second half and we had our opportunities we just couldn’t put one in the net,” said Midland Park head coach Dan Anderson. “We have a young team and these are all learning experiences for them. I saw things I liked and it’s about doing the positive things we did today for 80 minutes not just a few minutes here and there.”
Estevez was all over the field on one end and Hayman on the other for Saddle River Day (3-1). Reilly, Lassaw, and Daniel Flores all played well in front of Nova, who made five saves to remarkably record a shutout in his first varsity game as a goalie. Mulligan made six saves for Midland Park (1-4), which was outshot 14-9.
Saddle River Day had won just three games in the past five seasons combined, but those nightmare seasons are well in the rear-view mirror. This is a new year and what they hope is a new era in the Rebels’ soccer program with the current crop of seniors leading the way.
“We’re really having a lot of fun right now and this year we feel like we have a chance to do something that’s never been done here before,” said Estevez. “When we were freshmen, we just didn’t want to get crushed. Now we feel like we can win every time we step on the field. We’re finally opening some eyes and getting some respect, it’s been a long time coming and we don’t want to let this opportunity slip by.”
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