Tuesday,
November 5, 2013
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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The Jordan sisters, Sarah (left) and Emily, combined for three goals and two assists for Mahwah, which beat Indian Hills, 6-1, in the opening round of the North 1, Group 3 state sectional tournament. |
MAHWAH – It is not uncommon for sisters to grace the same high school field together at some point during their high school years. However, it is generally a seamless transition from playing club soccer together to playing together on the scholastic level. That was not case, however, for Mahwah’s Emily and Sarah Jordan, who had never played on the same team before entering high school. Even though Emily had already established herself as one of Bergen County’s top playmakers in the midfield, there were some growing pains as the two sisters learned to play in rhythm with each other. Now on the same page, they have turned Mahwah into a dangerous out in the state tournament.
Emily and Sarah Jordan combined for three goals and two assists as sixth-seeded Mahwah cruised to a 6-1 triumph over No. 11 seed Indian Hills in the first round of the North 1, Group 3 state tournament on Monday at Mahwah High School.
“We started slow in the first half and once we picked it up, we kept on going from there,” said Sarah Jordan, a freshman striker. “Our team gets along so well and playing with Emily has definitely brought us together closer as sisters.”
Indian Hills had its best stretch in the first 10 minutes of the game, pushing forward and nearly taking the lead six minutes into the match. Off of a corner kick, Bryn Levin had a shot at what seemed to be an open net from eight yards out, but Mahwah’s Alieh Busch was stationed at the back post and cleared the shot off of the goal line to keep the game scoreless.
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Anna Sasson played in goalie in the first half and then scored Indian Hills' goal in the second. |
In the 12th minute, Sarah Jordan showed off of her on-the-ball skills with some nifty moves to create space before drilling a shot into the upper left-hand corner to put Mahwah ahead. Less than three minutes later, she got loose along the left wing before sliding a pass along the six-yard box. Freshman Lauren Himpley was there at the back post to knock it home for her first varsity goal, which gave Mahwah a 2-0 lead.
“Once we let up those two goals right in a row, we knew we were in trouble. I think if we scored that first one early that it could have been a totally different game. After they scored the first one, we put our heads down and they got a second one on us. We never had the same energy level after that and Mahwah took it to us,” said Indian Hills’ head coach Jim Loudon. “This is a young team though and we lose only two seniors. So I hope this an experience that we can look back on and turn it into a positive looking towards next year by using it a motivation to work harder.”
With less than five minutes remaining in the first half, Emily Jordan put to rest any hopes of an Indian Hills upset. On a free kick from 20 yards out, she bent a shot over the wall and into the upper left-hand corner to give Mahwah a 3-0 halftime lead.
“I saw the goalie was leaning more towards the far post, so aimed at the upper left corner,” said Emily Jordan, who leads the team in assists. “I knew if I could get it just over the wall that it had a good chance of going in.”
Mahwah padded that lead early in the second half. An own goal just 51 seconds into the half was followed by a goal from Sarah Jordan in the 43rd minute to make it 5-0.
Jessica Cuttone also scored for Mahwah (11-6-1). Sarah Jordan finished with two goals and an assist and Emily Jordan added a goal and an assist. Erin Jaffe also added an assist. The Jordan sisters now have over 20 goals and 10 assists between them. Not bad for the duo who have never played on the same team before this season.
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Alieh Busch (left) cleared a ball off the line to help Mahwah dodge an early bullet. |
“We always got along and it’s given us a chance to bond through playing together this season,” said Emily Jordan, a junior. “It’s an instinctive thing where I always know where she’s going to be and she knows how to finish. We’re two years apart but we never really hung out or talked about anything outside of our house. Now we hang out a lot more and we’re much closer than we’ve ever been and it’s been great.”
Anna Sasson played in net during the first half and also scored the lone goal for Indian Hills (8-11-2) in the second half. Carly Supuch came on in the second half and finished with a season-high seven saves.
Mahwah moves into the North 1, Group 3 quarterfinals where it will face third-seeded Ramapo. The odds are stacked against the T-Birds, but that is just how they want it.
“We’re a team that plays much better when we’re an underdog with no real pressure on us,” said Mahwah head coach Courtney Carrelha. “I thought we played great today, especially Emily and Sarah. They complement each other so well and they’ve grown more comfortable as the year has gone on. Ramapo is a very talented team and we can’t afford to come out a little flat or it could be over quick. But we’re playing with a lot of confidence right now and we’re going to bring it as hard as we possibly can because we have nothing to lose.”
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