Thursday, October 15, 2009

By Cory K. Doviak
NJS.com Editorial Director

Tomek Kwiatkowski scored three times in the second half as Wallington pulled away for a 5-0 win over rival Harrison on Wednesday.

WALLINGTON – It was almost a perfect first half that the Wallington boys soccer team played on Wednesday against Harrison, the top teams in the BCSL-National Division and the two sides that make up one of the best small school rivalries in North Jersey. Walllington’s offense forced Harrison into two mistakes that turned into first half penalty kicks and on defense the Panthers allowed their guests just a single shot on goal through the first 40 minutes.

But for all of its good work, Wallington almost had nothing to show for it. One of their first half penalty kicks was saved and the Panthers were holding the slimmest of leads when the whistle blew to start the second half. When it did, Harrison’s Omar Flores sent in Bryan Aguilar up the left side and he ripped a shot on target just 25 seconds in that tested Wallington keeper David Podlesiecki.

But Podlesiecki was up to the challenge and his save, head-high at the near post, shifted the game in Wallington’s favor for good. The Panthers got four second half goals, three of them from Tomek Kwiatkowski, to stretch out a 5-0 win that all but locked up the BCSL-National Division title. Wallington (10-0) has yet to lose this season; it knocked off Harrison (10-2) for the second time this season and ended the Blue Tide’s seven-game winning streak.

Bryan Aguilar almost got Harrison even 25 seconds into the second half.

“I was very surprised at how well our players played today. They came out with a great attitude and I am very proud of them,” said Wallington head coach Mike Fromfield. “I think what we were able to do was counter, that was the key. They like to attack with numbers. They leave three in the back and back and it leaves a lot of space for Tomek a lot of space for anybody else running through. That is what we were able to exploit, I guess.”

It was in the final 20 minutes that Harrison was forced to push its defense further forward. The Blue Tide has fended off some quality scoring chances early in the second half, one when Tom Hajduk’s rebound attempt in traffic clanged off the framework in the 49th minute and another when Hajduk’s header off a corner kick was cleared off the line in the 54th, but Kwiatkowski’s first goal forced Harrison’s hand.

Konrad Plewa pounced on a turnover near midfield and played it forward on a diagonal to the right. Kwiatkowski ran on and then slotted a low shot just to the right of the on-rushing keeper to give Wallington the 2-0 lead with 20 minutes remaining and left Harrison head coach Mike Rusek with few options.

“It was my fault on the last three goals. We pulled a guy out of defense and they are still attacking and there is going to be some space there where there wasn’t when there wasn’t when we had four defenders back there,” said Rusek. “It’s a tough loss. Wallington is having a great year and I congratulate them on that. We still have a game plan and that game plan is still a state championship.”

Wallington keeper David Podlesiecki came up big when called upon.

With the numbers in its favor, Wallington struck three times in the final 11 minutes to put the game away. Kwiatkowski took a Hubert Dull feed and turned it into a successful 1-v-1 situation as he went to the lower right. Kwiatkowski’s next goal was his prettiest as he chased a ball into the right corner, then hit one with is right foot that crossed the goal and banged off the back post and in to make it 4-0.

Wallington finished off the scoring with 5:26 left showing on the second half clock when Plewa gained the right corner and hit a rolling cross that bounded past the keeper and the last defender and might have gone in. Whether it would have became a moot point when Michael Kubik slid in with two feet at the far post to make sure the ball found its mark.

“It’s a huge win. Harrison is always a very good team,” said Plewa. “To come out and win at home in a game like this and by a score like that, it just means a lot to us.”

Although the mathematics would say different, Wallington’s sweep of Harrison this season all but assures it of the BCSL-National Division title, but both teams have bigger plans. Wallington will take its unbeaten record into this Sunday’s Bergen County Tournament quarterfinal against Ramsey, while Harrison can get ready for county tournament play for the first time.

Mateusz Gawronski's PK gave Wallington the 1-0 lead it took into halftime.

One of the positive aspects of the NJSIAA’s realignment was that it broke up the old HCIAA and opened up the landscape for true Hudson County Tournament’s. Because traditional boys soccer powers like Harrison and Kearny played in different leagues, they were not included in the HCIAA postseason tournaments, which were the de facto events that crowned county champions. Now Harrison is in and looking forward to the opportunity.

Harrison will play its first ever game in the 16-team tournament at home on Saturday against Hudson Catholic.

“We want to win that. In Harrison we always talked about how we haven’t been included in the county tournament. Now we are and we have no excuses anymore,” said Rusek. “We tell our team to win championships as they come along and we are kind of disappointed because I looked at this one as the game for the conference championship and we lost it. Now it’s our job to start winning championships and maybe it will come with the county.

There is a chance that the two sides could see each other again and it would happen if both won their state sections (Harrison in North 2, Group 1 and Wallington in North 1, Group 1), but for now they will part ways and pursue other goals. For Wallington, it means fighting for a spot in the Bergen County Tournament semifinals when they race Ramsey at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday at Ramapo High School.

“Ramsey is for sure going to come out strong and they are a very good team,” said Plewa, a junior. “We just have to come out with the right mentality, the right focus and play hard, play the way we have been playing all season.”

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