November
10, 2006
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| Brittney Steinbruch scored with 16:12 to go in the second half to give Ramapo the only goal it needed to reach the Group 3 state final. |
OAKLAND – The play happened 20 minutes into the second half of Tuesday night’s Group 3 state semifinal between Ramapo and Scotch Plains-Fanwood and when it was over, there was no change on the scoreboard.
Senior Brittney Steinbruch made a run with possession of the ball in the middle of the field, creating space between herself and a defender and getting off a shot on goal. Although SPF goalkeeper Lauren Mains, who played club soccer with Steinbruch on the PDA Fury, dove to her left and smothered the shot to keep the game scoreless, it was good practice for Steinbruch for what would come just over three minutes later.
That was when a goal kick came came out of the Scotch Plains end and traveled toward midfield where it was taken down by Ramapo’s Amy Van Dyk. She moved the ball to the right where sophomore Brooke Bandazian took possession and raced up the right side. From there she saw Steinbruch running toward the middle and Bandazian’s feed was right on target.
Steinbruch was in just about the same position she found herself in three minutes earlier; with the ball on her foot, a defender on her shoulder and with another chance to break the deadlock. This time there was a more favorable outcome.
Steinbruch pushed past the defender, got just inside the 18 and hit a laser to the same side, although this time it was further to Mains’ left and she could do nothing to stop it from sneaking inside the post and into the back of the net. It was the lone goal of a 1-0 Ramapo win that sends that Green Raiders into Saturday’s Group 3 state final against Freehold Boro at The College of New Jersey.
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| Ramapo sophomore Brooke Bandazian set up the game's lone goal with a pass from the right wing. |
“Brooke played a fantastic ball in front and somehow I ended up in front of the goal. It’s however it works,” said Steinbruch, already signed, sealed and delivered on a full scholarship to the University of Miami. “I hit the first shot with my left foot [foot] and it wasn’t far enough right. I know that keeper and she is fantastic. It hit the second one with my right foot and it went further right. Whatever works.”
Ramapo head coach Paul Heenehan had a feeling that yet another Steinbruch goal was coming.
“She was getting the space to make her runs. One she gets that second step on the ball, if they haven’t put a body on her, we feel pretty confident that she is going to get a pretty good opportunity for us,” said Ramapo head coach Paul Heenehan. “You can see that she instills fear when she gets going and it was just a beautiful ball. She has a great opportunity a couple of minutes before and they closed it down, but we knew if she got one more we’d be in good shape.”
The goal came with 16:12 remaining in the game and after it Steinbruch retreated to the back where she bolstered a defense that was stifling in its own right for the previous 63:48. The names have been mentioned here in the past, but once again Taylor Schulte was solid at sweeper and the rest of the Green Raider defense limited SPF to just six shots, none of them particularly difficult for keeper Samantha Depken.
“Taylor always does a great job of keeping the defense organized and keeping everyone marked,” said Depken. “Everyone picks each other up, it’s a team effort for 80 minutes and I don’t remember one shot that was really dangerous.”
The win was Ramapo’s first in the Group 3 semifinal since beating West Morris-Mendham in 2001 and they are headed back to the state final for the first time since that same year, a trip that ended in a 1-0 loss to Toms River South.
“The goal was not just to get there but to win a state championship,” said Depken, happy to be past the semifinal round where Ramapo’s season has ended in each of the last two seasons. “I guess the third time is a charm. It’s awesome. We’ve never been here before and it was the last chance for the seniors. This group of girls is so much fun and it’s great to be able to spend another four days with them.”
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