Friday,
November 7, 2014
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Senior keeper Grant Kelly made 11 saves, inlcuding two in the penalty kick shootout, for Wayne Hills, which ended Ramapo season for the second straight year, 0-0 (4-2 PKs), on Thursday in Franklin Lakes. |
FRANKLIN LAKES – The dreaded penalty kick shootout. It is what every soccer coach loathes but what certain players consider to be an ultimate test. After battling through 100 scoreless minutes with Bergen County champion Ramapo in Thursday’s North 1, Group 3 state sectional quarterfinal, Wayne Hills’ senior goaltender Grant Kelly got exactly what he wanted. The fate of both the game and the Patriots’ season rested directly on the shoulders of his 6-foot-4 frame. After having a great game in an upset win over Ramapo in the states last year, Kelly once again stood on his head when his team needed him the most.
Kelly saved two penalty kicks and teammate Justin Ruiz made the last of four straight PK’s as sixth-seeded Wayne Hills ended Ramapo’s season on its home field in Franklin Lakes for the second straight year with a 1-0 (4-2 in PKs) victory to advance to the semifinals.
“They had a lot of the same guys from last year and we tried to play on some of those tendencies to our advantage,” said Wayne Hills’ defender Chris Phillips. “Any time you play a Ramapo team, it’s going to be a tough battle. We had to stay composed and weather the storm.”
Ramapo had a big edge in terms of possession throughout the game, but Wayne Hills did have a handful of quality scoring chances, all centering on the play of the hustling Justin Diglio. His 35-yard shot from a tough angle was punched over the crossbar by Ramapo keeper Armond Biagini in the 12th minute. The remainder of the half was all Ramapo but Kelly was the equalizer in between the pipes. Charlie Ortiz had the best scoring chance of the half, forcing Kelly to lay out full-extension to push it wide of the post.
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Pat Hammer and the Ramapo defense did not give up many looks at its goal. |
“That was a great save there, if that goes in it’s a different game,” said Ramapo head coach Evan Baumgarten. “(Kelly) was really tough all game and they were effective with playing a lot of players behind the ball. It wasn’t like we were without chances to score, we had quite a few of them. But they made the plays they had to make and you have to give them the credit. I thought we did a very good job of possessing the ball, but we knew if it got to penalty kicks, that it would be a toss-up.”
The Green Raiders kept pushing forward and earned a bunch of corner kicks throughout the second half. Pat Hammer made all of those opportunities dangerous, but the Patriots were up to the task each time. Kelly snatched a pair of corners out of the air, with Chris Phillips and Erik Thomas each clearing another chance away.
“In the defensive third, it was all about communication and pressuring the forwards,” added Phillips. “Goals are really hard to come by against the top teams, so we had to match that by doing whatever it takes to keep them from scoring.”
Ramapo’s best scoring chance of the entire match came with 3:30 to play when Ryan Campbell broke free for a shot that was saved by Kelly. The rebound squirted loose but Kelly got back in position to smother the rebound off the foot of Dylan Roccio as the teams remained scoreless through regulation and then through two overtime periods. That meant a penalty-kick shootout to decide who moved on and who went home.
The Green Raiders elected to go first to try to set the tone, but Kelly dove to his left and made the save to give Wayne Hills a momentum boost. Garrett Vandermay followed with a goal to put the Patriots ahead, 1-0.
After the two teams traded goals on the second and third shooters, Kelly dove to the exact same spot to come up with a save on the fourth shooter. That gave Justin Ruiz a chance to win it, which he did by blasting a shot past Biagini into the right side of the net as Wayne Hills was able to hold a wild celebration on Ramapo’s field for the second straight year.
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Erik Thomas and Wayne Hills will play Northern Highlands in the North 1, Group 3 semifinals on Monday. |
“I was just trying to read the shooter’s knees and their hips the best that I could,” said Kelly. “I made a point to stay calm and just focus on their lower body to see if they opened up or stayed close. That gave me an idea of which way they were going.”
Kelly showed why he is one of the best goalies in North Jersey with a fantastic 11-save performance, including 2 in the PK shootout for Wayne Hills (10-6-3). Biagini had four saves for Ramapo, whose season came to a close with a Bergen County championship and a 14-4-1 record.
Wayne Hills moves onto the North 1, Group 3 semifinals on Monday. They will face the winner of seventh-seeded Northern Valley/Old Tappan and No. 15 seed River Dell. More importantly, they will be at home where they hope to win and earn another match against Northern Highlands, who beat the Patriots in last year’s North 1 Group 3 section final (2-1 in overtime).
“This season has not exactly gone the way we wanted it to go, but now is the time where we can change that,” added Kelly. “This is a new tournament and a new opportunity for us to do something great. The pressure is off of us now. In the end we’re still just a bunch of kids who grew up as friends and we get to play another day. We’re going to keep playing hard and ride this out as far as we can go.”
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