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Wednesday,
September 23, 2009
By
Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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| Johnna
Trotter’s goal late in the first half was the game-winner
for Hasbrouck Heights, which hasn't lost a league game since
2001. |
LYNDHURST
– Over the past eight years within the BCSL-National Division,
the Hasbrouck Heights/Wood-Ridge girls soccer team has been….well,
perfect. Not only have the Aviators not lost a game since the
final day of the regular season in 2001, but they have rarely
trailed in romping to seven straight undefeated league records.
But when Lyndhurst’s Amanda Uhlick scored just four minutes
into Tuesday’s match, the Aviators found themselves in an
unfamiliar position; trailing by a goal in league play with an
inexperienced squad having to make up the deficit and keep the
incredible unbeaten streak alive.
Megan
Gwozdecke tied the score and Johnna Trotter’s goal late
in the first half proved to be the game-winner. The Aviators locked
down defensively and gave up just three second-half shots in a
2-1 win.
“After
we went down a goal, we knew we had to step it up,” said
Gwozdecke, who earlier this season became the school’s all-time
leader in assists. “We just had to make sure we didn’t
panic and we kept playing our game.”
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| Krista
Jinks played well in goal for Lyndhurst. |
Lyndhurst
did not waste much time in putting a scare into the Aviators.
On a misplay in the back, Uhlick pounced on a loose ball near
the top of the key and buried it inside the left post to put the
Golden Bears on top 1-0 at the four-minute mark. It was also the
first goal they have scored on the Aviators in four years.
“We
were definitely surprised by that goal and the pressure was on
us,” said Hasbrouck Heights’ Julia Weingartner. “We
don’t have as much experience as we had last year, but we
are still here to pick each other up. This is a wide field here
and we just had to keep playing the ball to the corners. We knew
if we kept doing that and kept attacking we would find a way to
score.”
It
took just over seven minutes to do that and it came off of a corner
kick. Macie Collazo curved one into the box and Gwozdecke came
up from her sweeper slot to head it home and knot the score at
one.
Later
in the half, Trotter collected a ball in the box and put it past
diving Lyndhurst keeper Krista Jinks to give the Aviators a 2-1
lead.
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| Julia
Weingartner and Heights improved to 4-0-1 on the season. |
“There
was no real thought process behind it, all I thought about was
I had to get this ball in the net,” said Trotter said of
her game-winning goal. “When it went in, I was finally able
to relax. The big key was for us is to keep playing our game no
matter what the score is. But as a team, we feel more comfortable
and we seem to play better once we get the lead.”
The
Golden Bears hoped to mount more of an attack in the second half
and net the equalizer. However, a stout Hasbrouck Heights defense
limited them to just three shots, and just one on net. Gwozdecke,
Marissa Romano, freshman Teressa Ayala, and Melissa Spethman clamped
down defensively and controlled the Aviators’ defensive
third of the field.
“Hasbrouck
Heights’ defense, especially in the second half, was fantastic,”
said Lyndhurst head coach Lori DeLuca. “We’re trying
to find something that works for us offensively and we’re
still learning. I’m happy with our effort and that we scored
against them for the first time in a long time. Our league is
much more competitive this year and every game is going to be
a close one. Not the result we wanted today, but we’re still
a work in progress. Today was another step in the right direction.”
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| Kaitlynn
McGinnis and the Lyndhurst defense played well throughout.
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Hasbrouck
Heights (4-0-1) will look to keep the lengthy streak going tomorrow
when they face the team that last beat them in league play, North
Arlington.
Lyndhurst
(2-2-1) got a solid game in the back from Nina Motichka and Kaitlynn
McGinnis. Jinks finished with 11 saves for the Golden Bears.
“We
aren’t the same team we were last year, but we know we can
still be a very good team,” added Gwozdecke. “We have
to start stronger than we did today, but this game will help us
get better. Teams are a lot stronger in our league this year and
we have to be prepared for that. We’ll just keep taking
it one game at a time.”
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