Wednesday,
May 6, 2015
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Katelynn Ewell scored with 40 seconds left to cap comeback that saw Northern Highlands erase deficits of 7-0 and 9-2 and beat Saddle River Day, 11-10, in the quarterfinals of the Bergen County Tournament. |
DEMAREST – Shock, anger, disbelief. Those are three adjectives that the Northern Highlands' girls lacrosse team has not had to experience at any point this season. On paper, there seemed to be no reason to believe that that would change when it faced Saddle River Day, a team they had beaten handily by a score of 13-4 just two weeks ago, in the quarterfinals of the Bergen County Tournament on Tuesday afternoon. But as the Highlanders walked off the field at halftime of the rematch, all they could do was stare at one another with bewildered looks on their faces.
Not only were the Highlanders trailing at halftime for the first time all season, they were getting dominated.
Led by standout sisters Dani and Michaela McMahon, Saddle River Day got to every loose ball and consistently won draws on the way to scoring the first seven goals of the game, an advantage it maintained right into halftime. As successful as the Highlanders have been all season as one of just two unbeaten teams left in New Jersey (Ridgewood being the other), they had to quickly put their egos aside and use the 25-minute second half to get back to basics.
Highlands quickly cut into the lead after the break, but by then it was battling two opponents: the Rebels and the clock, which seemed to stuck on fast forward. With Saddle River Day focusing its defense on Northern Highlands' three Julias -- Bradbury, Pash, and Corriston -- someone else had to step to the forefront and carry the offense. It was an opportunity Katelynn Ewell jumped at when the Highlanders needed her most.
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Dani McMahon scored three straight goals in the midst of Saddle River Day's 7-0 run to start the game. |
Ewell scored the game-winning goal with 40 seconds left to give Northern Highlands its first and only lead of the game and it stood up as the third-seeded Highlanders remained undefeated and advanced to semifinals with a classic 11-10 comeback win over sixth-seeded Saddle River Day at the Academy of the Holy Angels in Demarest.
“We knew this game wasn't going to be anything like the first time we played them,” said Ewell. “The McMahon sisters and (Alexa Tsahalis) are so talented and the rest of their team is really athletic. We really got our butts kicked in the first half and we had to come together in the second half.”
The Highlanders have made a living on getting off to fast starts and keeping their feet on the gas en route to 17 straight victories to start the season. They had given up just a shade over four goals per game coming in, but the McMahon sisters were undeterred and came out on fire.
Dani McMahon, a junior attack, netted three straight goals, including a nice low shot inside the right post, to give the Rebels a 4-0 lead. Then it was her freshman sister's turn to work her magic. After being held scoreless in the teams' regular-season meeting, Michaela McMahon scored three straight goals to give Saddle River Day a shocking 7-0 lead. The Rebels had all the momentum going into halftime and gained some more with Dani McMahon's fifth goal of the half coming with seven seconds left to put the Rebels in front 9-2 at the intermission.
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Julia Corriston scored a hat trick as Northern Highlands improved to 18-0 on the season. |
“We got totally outplayed in first half. Nothing fancy, just outplayed,” said Northern Highlands' head coach Mike Menzella. “It was a different situation for us because we haven't had to play from behind all year. We knew it was going to happen, though, and we had to mentally prepare for that. I told them to do three things: Play fast, play tough and push your limits. We had to play like a desperate team and we won a lot of draws early to get some momentum going.”
Within the first six minutes of the second half, the Highlanders scored five straight goals. That stretch was highlighted by a heads-up play by Julia Corriston, who pounced on a loose ball in front of the net. With a collapsing defense and Saddle River Day goalie Zoe Fava bearing down, Corriston knew she did not have time to pick up the ball and make a play. Instead, she alertly shoveled the ball past Fava with a scoop shot. Two minutes later, Bradbury scored off of a free position to trim the deficit to 9-7.
Tsahalis stopped the bleeding momentarily with a goal off of a nice feed from Michaela McMahon, but Ewell answered right back with consecutive goals to keep the Highlanders within striking distance before Bradbury tied it at 10 with less than two minutes to play. The Rebels won the ensuing draw and had a chance to hold for the last shot of regulation before the Highlanders' defense stepped up.
On a drive by Dani McMahon, the Highlanders collapsed with Bucknell-bound senior Eleanor Hagan able to knock the ball loose and pick up the ground ball. That gave the Highlanders a chance to take the lead and they cashed in. Ewell fired one home from point-blank range to give the Highlanders their first lead, 11-10, with 40 seconds. Julia Pash picked up the loose ball off the draw as the Highlanders ran out the clock on their biggest win of the season.
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Saddle River Day goalie Zoe Fava finished with 10 saves. |
“We've shown that we have talent and we play as a team throughout the season, but this win showed the character and the kind of heart this team has,” added Menzella. “Sometimes you have to be behind like we were today to realize how bad you want something. It was really a tale of two halves and we made one more possession count than they did.”
Ewell scored all of her team-high four goals in the second half for Northern Highlands (18-0). Bradbury and Corriston each added a hat trick. After a tough first half, goalie Victoria Marino bounced back and made seven of her eight saves in the second half.
Dani McMahon finished with five goals and two assists to lead the way for Saddle River Day (10-5). Michaela McMahon added four goals and an assist. Fava played well throughout and finished with 10 saves.
Although the loss was a bitter one for the Rebels, who are in just their third year as a varsity program, it shows that they have established themselves as one of the better teams in Bergen County. With just one senior (Hawley Moore) graduating, the Rebels will be a team to be reckoned with for years to come.
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Julia Pash and Highlands will play second-seeded IHA in the county semifinals on Thursday. |
“We had nothing to lose and we couldn't have played much better than we did in the first half,” said Saddle River Day head coach Karen McMahon. “Northern Highlands is an excellent team and we knew they had a big run in them like they made in the second half. They beat us by nine goals last time we played. So while we're disappointed that we lost, we gave them everything they could handle and we feel like we're arrived as a solid program in Bergen County. Now we have to learn how to finish off these types of games against quality opponents.”
For Northern Highlands it is now onto the BCT semifinals against second-seeded IHA in a game will be played on Thursday at Holy Angels with a 5:30 start. It will be a rematch of last year's semifinal when the Highlanders took IHA to the wire before falling 15-13. Thursday provides a chance for redemption that has been a year in the making.
“Our motivation all season has been to get another shot at playing IHA,” said Ewell. “We knew at halftime if we don't find a way to win here that there will be no shot at IHA. I think this is the best teamwork that Northern Highlands has ever had. IHA is a great team and we know have to play as a unit to beat them. We're all pumped up for the opportunity and we feel like we're going to give IHA a run for their money.”
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