Sunday,
November 18, 2007
By
Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
EWING – For a
program that has been to 11 state finals, including last season’s
Group 3 title game where it came away with a tie against Freehold
Boro, it could hardly be considered a surprise when the Ramapo
girls soccer team is playing on the final day of the season. But
with only two senior starters on this year’s side, it was
not a forgone conclusion at the beginning of the season that the
Green Raiders would make a run at another state title.
Just to make it back
to the state final was a huge accomplishment in itself and yet
the Green Raiders found themselves less than 20 minutes away from
winning the title outright on Saturday at the College of New Jersey.
That was until Freehold Boro’s Shannon Mayrose took over
the match with just two shots.
She scored on a 35-yard
blast to tie the game and nailed 30-yarder with 4:16 left in the
second overtime as Ramapo suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 loss in
the Group 3 final.
“We knew how
tough they were from last year and this was going to be a close
game no matter what,” said Mayrose, a junior.
Freehold Boro dominated
the possession game in the first half and held a whopping advantage
in shots, but Ramapo keeper Caroline Shiel made a pair of diving
saves to keep the game scoreless. Despite the Green Raiders having
only one shot in the first half, it was the best scoring chance
by either team over that span.
In the 32nd minute,
Amy Van Dyk curved a corner kick into the box. Kielty Wright got
a head on the ball that seemed destined for the back of the net.
Only a leaping punch by Colonials’ keeper Ashley Lewis kept
Ramapo off the scoreboard.
The Green Raiders started
to play more crisply in the second half; and they did what they
could not in the first half, cash in on a corner kick. Van Dyk
hit another corner into the middle of the box. This time, Allie
Maresca volleyed a shot through traffic and just inside the far
post to give Ramapo a 1-0 lead in the 51st minute.
Mayrose nearly tied
the game minutes later and only another diving save by Shiel pushed
her long shot wide of the post. But Mayrose kept at it, earned
herself another opportunity in the 64th minute and this one was
too tough to handle. She struck a ball perfectly from well outside
the box and it curved over Shiel’s fingertips and just under
the crossbar to knot the score at 1.
The teams battled through
regulation and one overtime period until they opened up the offense
in the second overtime. Ramapo had a scoring chance with five
minutes to play off a scramble in front. Lewis got caught off
of her line and the ball bounced out to Kristina Russo just outside
the penalty area. Her half-volley went over the crossbar and the
Colonials used the ensuing corner kick to go on the counter attack.
Alexa Rizzo got the
ball at midfield and passed the ball up to Mayrose along the right
side. The junior had enough room to get off shot from a tough
angle and, once again, hit a rocket. There was little Shiel could
as Mayrose’s knuckling blast was ripped into the side netting
inside the far post to give Freehold Boro its first outright state
title since 1999.
“I was given
a little room, so I took a chance and took the shot,” added
Mayrose. “On both goals, especially the second goal, I can’t
remember striking the ball better than I did then. When we got
down, I knew I had to step up and take a shot. This is the most
amazing feeling I’ve ever had, it’s like a dream come
true.”
Freehold Boro (21-2)
held a 23-7 advantage in shots, while Ramapo had more corner kicks
(4-1). Shiel made eight saves, including several diving ones.
Lewis made three saves to earn her 18th shutout of the season.
While the loss prevented Ramapo from its 11th state title, it
did not diminish a season it might not expected to have.
“Just
to get here is a great experience and we improved steadily throughout
the year,” said Ramapo head coach Paul Hennehan. “I
thought (Caroline) Shiel was fantastic and the rest of the girls
played their hearts out. I thought we had the better of play from
the second half on. But (Mayrose) made two incredible shots that
no keeper in the state would have stopped and that was it. I’m
sure we will have some perspective in time and realize what we
accomplished. But right now it hurts, it hurts real bad.”
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