Sunday, November 1, 2009

By Cory K. Doviak
NJS.com Editorial Director

Catherine Zysk scored on a penalty kick with just over 12 minutes to play in regulation to give Northern Highlands a 2-1 win over Ramapo in the Bergen County semifinals.

ORADELL – The Northern Highlands and Ramapo girls soccer programs have gone head to head so many times that there ceased to be secrets long ago. The two teams have locked horns in the NBL twice every regular season, they battled it out in county tournament play numerous times and also always seem to gravitate toward each other in the North 1, Group 3 state sectional playoffs. The latest edition of the rivalry took place on Saturday morning and the difference this time around came after Kristine Battle launched a corner kick toward the opposite post with the game tied in the 68th minute.

The ball took a course not to far from the goal line and as it arced over the keeper, it was even curling toward the far post. Whether or not it would have found itself inside the side netting or rolling toward the corner at the end of its route became a moot point when a defender used her hand to make sure the ball’s course was altered.

“I am terrified every time I take a corner in a game like this because, of course, we need all of the opportunities we can get,” said Battle. “When it was curving in I was just hoping that someone could get a head on it. Some of my teammates said it was going in and that is why she chose to hit it out, but I couldn’t tell if would have gone in.”

Sarah Halejian scored on a free kick to give Ramapo the first lead of the game.

There was less of a doubt about Catherine Zysk’s penalty kick that immediately followed the handball. Zysk knocked the ball into the left side with 12:07 left in regulation and that made the difference in Northern Highlands’ 2-1 win over its rival in the semifinals of the Bergen County Tournament.

“It [the corner kick] looked like it was going to go in the goal and the girl put a hand on it, I saw it and I knew we were going to get a penalty kick,” said Zysk, a junior. “When I stepped up to the penalty area I knew I had to go with confidence and I just put it away. It feels great. We are still undefeated and we are going to the county final.”

That the game came down to one play late in the second half was no surprise. The teams are evenly matched, have been for the past decade or so. Ramapo, which knocked Highlands out of the county tournament in the semifinals last season, had taken a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute when Sarah Halejian converted a free kick, but the advantage lasted for only about six minutes when Melissa Fichera assisted on a Tara Corbett goal that got Highlands even.

The sides then took turns putting dangerous combinations together in search of the game-winner. Ramapo had the last quality chance of the first half when Amanda Baumgarten took possession of a throw-in on the right side, beat a defender and then sent in Katherine Papera on a diagonal. Papera moved into space and took a shot at the low left before Highlands keeper Caroline Broder got down to keep the game even heading into the intermission.

Highlands' Kristine Battle hit the corner kick that led to the handball and the decisive goal.

Highlands had the first good chance of the second half when Valerie Sydnor got off a rip from the right side that made for a tough save for Ramapo keeper Emma Giegerich. Giegerich was up to it, but the rebound bounced to Eilis McGovern, who knocked it right back on net. Giegerich scrambled back just in time to snag the liner in the 45th minute.

“It was a battle and I think both sides played well. It was like 15 minutes good for Ramapo, 15 minutes good for Highlands and it went back-and-forth as usual,” said Northern Highlands head coach Tara Madigan. “We watched the tape last night of the last time we played them [which ended in a tie] and we gave up way to many fouls and giving up fouls to Ramapo is almost like giving up a goal, so we came into today with it in mind to limit those opportunities that we gave them last time.”

It was the first loss for Ramapo (15-3-1) since opening the season with three straight losses, but it wasn’t from a lack of effort.

“It’s like I have been telling people leading up to this week, we knew we were playing a great team. They don’t have a goose egg in the loss column for no reason and I am very proud of the way my kids played, extremely proud,” said Ramapo head coach Paul Heenehan. “We had a plan of attack, it worked and a lucky break here or there and the outcome could have been different. We easily had enough opportunities on net to win that game and that is all you can ask.”

But it was Highlands that came away with the victory and move to within one win of its first county title since 2005 when it shared the title with IHA, which will be its opponent again next weekend in the championship game.

“This is a great feeling, especially coming back here after we lost to Ramapo last year in the semifinals. Coming out here today and having a win is definitely an accomplishment. These kids deserve it. They’ve had a heckuva year and they deserve it,” said Madigan, before making a startling admission for a coach whose demeanor during games usually ranges from angry to really angry. “I am very happy.”

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