Friday,
October 30, 2015
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Andrew Cosman (6) sent in the free kick that led to the game-winning goal in Lyndhurst's 3-2 victory over over Leonia on Thursday afternoon. |
LYNDHURST – As time was winding down and the prospect of overtime looking like a forgone conclusion on Thursday against Leonia, Lyndhurst captain Andrew Cosman stood over the ball knowing that he had to do something. On a direct kick from 30 yards out, most players would have tried to play the hero and go for goal. Cosman used a more cerebral approach and it turned out to be the correct one.
Cosman chipped a ball into the box and Vin DiTonto got just enough of his foot on it to flick it past the Leonia keeper and watched it trickle over the goal line with just three seconds remaining as Lyndhurst will head into the state tournament on a high note with a hard-fought 3-2 win at Leonia High School.
Leonia came out on fire to start the game. Gino Zacarias beat an offside trap then sent a long through ball into the box. Max Stith ran onto it and put it top shelf to give the Lions the lead just two minutes into the match. Ten minutes later, Zacarias got into the act himself by cleaning up a scrum in front to put the Lions ahead, 2-0.
“This was not the start we wanted to get off to but it definitely woke us up,” said Cosman. “We beat them 4-0 the first time around and I think we honestly came into the game a little bit arrogant. Once we got it back to 2-1 at halftime, we got our confidence back.”
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Gino Zacarias set up Leonia's first goal and scored its second. |
The Lions controlled play for most of the first half but Lyndhurst got exactly what it needed to grab the momentum back going into halftime. Anthony Olivera split two defenders to get to a loose ball first and scored with just over two minutes remaining in the half to cut the lead to 2-1.
With a stiff wind now at their backs to start the second half, the Golden Bears pushed forward and quickly netted the equalizer when Raymond Valenzuela found the back of the net in the 46th minute to knot the score at 2.
Lyndhurst kept pounding away at the Lions’ net throughout the second half. Leonia keeper Anthony Cassano was up to the task making several nice saves as the two teams appeared headed toward overtime. But with 30 seconds remaining, a foul gave the Golden Bears a free kick and one last shot at winning the game in regulation.
As the seconds ticked away, Cosman calmly walked up to the ball and waited as the Golden Bears pushed numbers forward. The senior midfielder lofted a ball right to the corner of the six-yard box. Through a sea of players from both teams, DiTonto somehow redirected the ball past Cassano and in with three ticks left for the game-winner.
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Raymond Valenzuela scored the equalizer for Lyndhurst, which is now 14-4-1 on the season. |
“We knew there were only a few seconds left and we pushed everyone up just hoping to make something happen,” said DiTonto. “I knew it would be kind of a hard shot from where (Cosman) was. I knew he’d put the ball in a good spot and I was able to get my foot on it.”
Lyndhurst, which has now won six straight games and is 14-4-1 on the season, will get a home game in the North 2, Group 2 state tournament. The Bears are the No. 6 seed and will face 11th seeded Parsippany Hills in the first-round.
Cassano made eight saves for Leonia, which is the No. 13 seed in North 2, Group 2 state tournament and will travel to face No. 4 seed Garfield in a first-round game on Tuesday.
“This is a big win for us heading into the states next week,” added Cosman. “This is the first time in 20 years that we’ve won 14 games in a season. We’re on a winning streak right now and it gives us a lot of momentum going into the states. We have positive attitudes and we’re excited to see how we do.”
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