Monday, October 24, 2011

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

Casey Colangelo scored with less than two minutes left in regulation to put No. Highlands even before it settled for a 2-2 tie and a shared Bergen County title with Ramsey.

RAMSEY – Being aware of how much time is left in any game is information that most field hockey players can easily keep track of by glancing up at the scoreboard. However once the clock ticks down to two minutes remaining in the game it stops, the time is kept on the field, and the pressure increases dramatically. When the clock struck 2:00 in the second half on Sunday in the Bergen County Tournament final, Northern Highlands’ Casey Colangelo felt her team’s firm grip as the top dog in Bergen County slipping away by the second.

Down by a goal to archrival Ramsey inside the final two minutes and faced with the Highlanders’ last chance to hold onto their title, the senior saw a little opening to tie the game and made the most of it.

On a scramble in front of the net, Colangelo somehow got a stick on the ball and put it in the back of the cage 29 seconds left in regulation to tie the game as Northern Highlands went onto grab a share the Bergen County title for the fourth consecutive year in a wild 2-2 tie in the county championship game at Ramsey High School.

“This was definitely a pretty crazy game, one of the best I’ve ever been a part of,” said Northern Highlands head coach Rich Smith. “I felt we were gaining control late in the second half, but we were still down a goal and time was not on our side. Our kids just kept fighting until that final whistle. In the final minute, you just have to throw it in front of the net and hope something good happens. Casey worked hard to get position and fortunately was in the right place at the right time.”

Melanie Consiglio twice for Ramsey, which got a piece of the county title for the first time since 2007.

For the past few years, the Highlanders have been a huge thorn in the side of the Ramsey program, including a win in last year’s county final. The Rams showed no jitters this time around and quickly seized control of the game. Morgan Bishop blocked a clearing attempt and sent a long ball back in front that Melanie Consiglio redirected past NH goaltender Paulina Marino to give Ramsey a 1-0 lead just 2:35 into the game.

The Rams remained in control until the Highlanders tied the game on a counterattack. Catherine Peebles went on a scintillating run up the field dribbling through the entire Rams defense before dishing off to Colangelo, who blasted a one-timer past Rachel Moore to knot the score at 1 in the 17th minute.

Ramsey had several chances, including a penalty stroke and a breakaway in the final 10 minutes of the half, but Marino was up to the task. The junior made one huge save after another to keep the game tied at halftime.

“In any game, I just try to play well enough and give us a chance to win,” said Marino. “We have so many really good offensive players that we feel like we’ll always find a way to score. I had a couple of really nervous moments there, but I just focused keeping the ball out of the net.”

Paulina Marino made several key saves to keep Highlands in it before it could find a way to tie the game late in regulation.

Marino could only do so much though against a consistent wave of offense by the Rams. After making point-blank saves on shots by Melissa Gwon and Meredith Hudson, the Highlanders were unable to clear the zone. Consiglio, who caused problems for the Highlanders all game, cleaned up the mess and scored to put Ramsey ahead 2-1 with 16:58 remaining.

The Highlanders were now forced to move numbers ahead to try and net the equalizer. They tactically moved the ball up the field and had several chances to tie the game, but Moore held her ground and it left the Highlanders open to the counterattack. That eventually led what could have been the insurance goal that the Rams needed as they earned another penalty stroke. Once again, Marino was solid as she made a save on a hard shot from Gwon with 4:04 to play.

“Paulina was the star of the game for us, no question about it,” added Smith. “She made some big saves and she kept us in the game until we could figure out a way to tie it. Especially in a county final, you need your goalie to come up with big saves and Paulina made two huge ones on those strokes. If either one of those goes in, we lose. But that save on the second one gave us that little boost of energy we needed to keep pushing on and finding a way to force overtime.’

Melissa Gwon and the Ramsey offense kept the pressure on just about the whole way.

With the clock stopped at 2:00 and the official time being kept on the field, no players truly knew exactly how much time was left. All the Highlanders knew was that time was running out and someone had to make a play. On a huge scramble in front, a shot by Meghan Weiss was saved, but the ball bounced right to the stick of Colangelo. The senior got off a shot through traffic and it landed in the back of the cage with 29 seconds left to complete the comeback and send the game into overtime tied at 2.

“I didn’t know how much time was left, I only knew we were running out of it and fast,” said Colangelo. “Everything happened so fast and the ball just came right in front of me, I just reacted and got a shot off. I was so surprised when it went in and I am still in shock. This game was insane and I’ve never been a part of anything more exciting than this.”

That momentum spilled over into both 10-minute overtime periods where four players from each team are taken off the field for a 7-on-7 that features end-to-end action. Although for the majority of both extra sessions, the Highlanders dominated possession and had numerous scoring opportunities. However, the best (and last) scoring chance by either team came with 1:40 to play in the second overtime and Ramsey countered for a breakaway by Gwon. Once again, Marino made the big save. She swatted down the shot, then knocked it aside as the two teams had to settle for a co-championship.

Catherine Peebles assisted on Northern Highlands first goal.

Marino finished with 15 saves for second-seeded Northern Highlands, which also had a 14-11 edge in corners. Moore had 11 saves for top-seeded Ramsey, which grabbed a share of the Bergen County title for the first time since 2007. It was also the first time in tournament’s history that two teams were declared co-champs.

Although both teams would have liked to win the title outright and not have to share it with their main nemesis, both teams immediately understood what they were a part of and accepted the fact that a wild game like this could have always turned out worse.

“It hurts to let up a goal in the last minute of regulation, but honestly, co-champs is better than no champs,” said Ramsey head coach Becky Fantry. “I thought both teams played particularly well and it says a lot about the quality of play between us. Momentum shifted back and forth with both teams having a lot of legitimate chances to score. I know it’s a little hard for our girls right now, but we’re still county champs and we’ll be able to look back on this someday and say we were a part of one of the best games ever in the Bergen County tournament.”

FOR MORE PHOTOS OF THIS EVENT OR TO BUY A COLLECTOR'S PRINT OF THIS GAME STORY, PLEASE VISIT 4FeetGrafix.com.