Sunday, November 23, 2008

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

Brook Bandazian scored the tying and go-ahead goals as Ramapo knocked off Freehold, 3-1, to claim its first outright state title since 1999.

EWING – Every time the Ramapo girls’ soccer team breaks the huddle before the start of the second half, they yell ‘Together!’ Earlier this season, it was just one word that the Green Raiders said in going through the motions. But with each passing win in the state tournament, the confidence has grown internally not only amongst themselves but in each other.

As they broke the huddle for the last time as a group in yesterday’s Group 3 state final, that one word ‘together’ meant so much more. Trailing by a goal against new-found rival Freehold Boro, the Raiders needed to lean on each other more than ever if they were going to get past the same team that defeated them in last year’s state final. With just 40 minutes left in their careers, a heralded group of seniors decided to close it out in style with Ramapo’s best half of the season when they needed it most.

Senior Brooke Bandazian scored the tying and go-ahead goals early in the second half. Katie Wiederhold capped the scoring as Ramapo scored three goals in a 15-minute span to win their first outright state title since 1999 with a 3-1 victory at The College of New Jersey.

“I believed that this team had the makeup to be a state champion,” said Ramapo head coach Paul Heenehan. “I’m not sure they believed me six games into the season, but I’d like to think they believe it now. The word together defines what we have been for the past month and what we could accomplish if we did it as a team.”

Freehold Boro had a stiff wind at its back during the first half and were able to control play largely because of it. Its all-state striker, Shannon Mayrose, who scored the game-winner in overtime of last year’s Group 3 state final over Ramapo, gave the Green Raiders fits again in the first half. She had several scoring chances, the best of which came 11 minutes in when her 20-yard shot hit the crossbar. It looked Ramapo was going to escape the half in a scoreless tie before the most important player, Mother Nature, made her presence felt.

Kellie Wiederhold was unmarked in the box and one-timed a volley into the back of the net to give Ramapo a 3-1 advantage.

On a high corner kick across the goalmouth by Freehold Boro’s Alexandra Eagle, the ball was taken by a gust of wind. It carried over the head of Ramapo goalkeeper Emma Geigerich and into the side netting with 2:26 remaining to put Ramapo in a 1-0 hole at the half; which was also the first goal Ramapo has allowed in the state tournament.

Although his team was facing a one-goal deficit, Ramapo head coach Paul Heenehan believed there were no changes necessary.

“I just told my girls to keep playing the way they were,” added Heenehan. “We were playing hard and we weren’t making any major mistakes. I knew with the wind behind us in the second half we would get more opportunities. The chemistry was there, we just needed to keep believing in each other and put one in the back of the net.”

On Ramapo’s first true scoring opportunity of the game, it changed the entire tone of the match. Gen Cohen’s wind-aided 25-yard shot from the right-hand side of the field hit off the far post. However, the ball bounced in front of Bandazian, who booted it home to knot the score at 1 just 8:13 into the second half.

“Going into the second half, we knew we had to get one quickly,” said Bandazian. “The ball was right there in front of me, I just had to put it in. Once we got the first one, we wanted more and we just started pounding away. It’s a game we probably wouldn’t have won back in September, but we weren’t going to lose today.”

The wind once again worked in Ramapo’s favor just minutes later. Bandazian collected a ball near the edge of the penalty area along the goal line. She took one dribble then floated a shot that went over the head of Colonials’ goalie Ashley Lewis and bounced in to make it 2-1 with 24:15 left in regulation.

Due to stellar defense by sweeper Taylor Schulte and Becca Cooke on the Virginia Tech-bound Mayrose, the Colonials had just two shots the rest of the way.

Ramapo iced the game with just under 17 minutes to play. Off of a corner kick by Amy Van Dyk, Katie Wiederhold was unmarked in the box and one-timed a volley into the back of the net to make it 3-1. All of the Ramapo goals and assists in this game were registered by seniors.

After getting off just four shots in the first half, Ramapo had 15 in the second half to finish with a 19-13 advantage in shots over Freehold Boro (22-2). Geigerich had a strong performance, especially in the first half, to finish with seven saves.

As the Ramapo players walked off the field for one last time, they did it in the way they played for 80 minutes on the biggest stage in New Jersey, together.

“We’ve been a comeback team all season and we never doubted we would come back today,” said Ramapo’s Taylor Schulte. “I think early in the season that we had a lot of individual talent. We just weren’t putting it together and you can’t go anywhere if you aren’t playing together as one. It’s like two different teams from where we were to where we are now. We were playing for the person next to us and the person next to them, not just for ourselves. We played like a team that refused to lose, we played together.”

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