CHATHAM -- There are few sure bets in sports but there are some that come close. An extra point in the NFL is likely to go through the uprights, a slam dunk in the NBA is likely to go through the hoop and a corner kick served in by Ramapo High School's Carolyn Warhaftig is likely to be redirected into the net.

On Tuesday in the Group 3 state semifinals, Ramapo was awarded three corner kicks. All three came in the second half, all three were served in by Warhaftig and all three ended up behind Mendham goalie Ashley Brady as the Green Raiders advanced to the finals for the fifth time in the past six years with a 5-0 win at Cougar Field in Chatham.

"We knew that we couldn't give up corner kicks. We gave away three, they scored three," said Mendham coach Gary Anderson. "First you try to prevent the corner kicks, then when you do give up a corner kick and they serve it in, you have to attack the ball. We stayed back and allowed them to play the ball first and it went in."

Mendham (16-4-2) did do a good job of staying away from Ramapo restarts on the endline in the first half and the Green Raiders had to work for their only goal before intermission. After banging one off the crossbar in a previous offensive flurry, Lizzie Reed set up Ramapo's first goal in the 31st minute by trying a different part of the framework - the left post. Ashley Shaban pounced on the rebound to give Ramapo the only goal it would need.

Reed, a first team All-State selection last season as a sophomore, was the focus of the Mendham defense, which sometimes marked her with as many as three players in the first half. But selfishness is not a part of the Ramapo game plan and Reed used the opportunity to get her teammates more involved.

"The way I figure it, if there are three (defenders) on me, then there are two people open. So I tried to play a quick combination, pass it first into space and hope to get it back," said Reed who, despite the extra attention, still managed a goal and two assists on Tuesday. "Really it's an honor to have three people mark you. I think it's a challenge and I think our team handled it well."

The Green Raiders (24-1) handled just about everything well in the second half, something they have done before in this round of the playoffs on this very field. In 1999, battling a brutal wind and an equally tough opponent, Ramapo scored five goals in the second half to beat Cranford, 5-3, in a classic state semifinal.

On Tuesday, the Raiders met less resistance from both the weather and the opponent as Katie Kleinert gave her team a two-goal cushion in the 47th minute when she headed home Warhaftig's first corner kick of the day. Kleinert, the All-State center-mid who missed the last week's games with an injury sustained in the Bergen County finals, was happy to be back and contributing.

"It was great just to get back out on the field. I missed the last week so I wanted to play more than anyone," said Kleinert, who has been a part of four sectional titles and three outright Group 3 titles in her four years in high school. "(This season has) been fantastic. Of the four years (I have been here) this is the most team camaraderie we have had. Everyone gets along real well and it's just a lot of fun to be out here."

It certainly was fun for Ramapo to be out there during the final six minutes of the game when Reed volleyed home a Warhaftig corner in the 74th minute, Christine Smith chipped Brady from 20 yards out in the 76th minutes and Sarah Meier powered home the Raiders' final corner kick of the day after a mad scramble in front two minutes before time.

The win gives Ramapo its 23rd straight win in a season in which it has allowed a total of five goals and puts the Green Raiders back in the Group 3 state finals, an honor it missed out on last season after losing to Cranford 1-0 in the semifinals.

Ramapo won four straight titles from 1996-1999 and coach Paul Heenahan is looking forward to the chance to reclaim the crown this Saturday at noon on the campus of The College of New Jersey.

"This is it, baby. This is what it is all about," said Heenahan. "It's about going down to Trenton on Saturday and being one of the last eight teams playing. It's a great rush and no group (of players) deserves it more than this one."