Saturday,
September 27, 2014
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Frankie Raffaele scored with nine minutes left in regulation to give Waldwick a 2-1 win on the road at Emerson on Saturday afternoon. |
EMERSON – As Waldwick headed to halftime locked in a scoreless duel with Emerson, there was a myriad of emotions the team was going through. In a half where they did nothing offensively and got outhustled for most of the first 40 minutes, the Warriors could have easily been discouraged. But with still no score and another half yet to play, the slate was wiped clean and they had a chance to essentially start over. In the biggest game of the season to date, the Warriors had a chance right in front of them to make amends and did just that.
Junior Frankie Raffaele came off the bench late and delivered. Her header off a cross from Marissa Santo with nine minutes to go stood as the game-winner as Waldwick earned an important 2-1 triumph on the road on Saturday in Emerson.
“We were a little concerned with the way we played in the first half, but we had a chance in the second half to work much harder,” said Santo. “We have some really strong forwards and they weren’t getting the ball enough. In the second half we started using the whole field and crossing the ball more, which led to us scoring goals.”
Waldwick had a chance to take the lead in the opening minutes when striker Erin Archer sneaked behind the defense to a through ball. Emerson keeper Kassidy Germann charged off of her line to save the breakaway. For the remainder of the half, it was all Emerson.
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Katie Falatico set up the Emerson goal that tied the game at 1. |
The Cavos had several opportunities on free and corner kicks, but their best chance to score came with less than a minute remaining in the opening stanza. Nicole Johnston made some nifty moves in the corner to create space. She sent a cross directly across the goalmouth only for it to be cleared off the line by Waldwick sweeper Nicole Cunneely as the teams went to halftime locked in a scoreless duel.
“We had our chances in the first half but we didn’t capitalize on them,” said Emerson head coach Matt Lachman. “If we got that goal at the end of the half, I think that momentum carries over and we’re in a real good position. We’re a young team with nine sophomores and freshman. Against a good team, we did a lot of nice things today. But they put the ball in the net with the chances they had and we didn’t.”
Less than five minutes into the second half, Archer won a ball and then struck a beautiful volley off of one bounce. From 35 yards out, she ripped a shot that went over the outstretched hands of Germann and dipped underneath the crossbar to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead.
Emerson responded in the 66th minute, sparked by a hustle play from Melanie Whited. Defender Katie Falotico sent a ball into open space along the right wing and Whited tracked it down. With two defenders along with netminder Kelly Mone charging at her, Whited was able to chip it through traffic and Devin Riker was there to slam it into the open net, knotting the score at 1.
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Waldwick's Marissa Santo sent in the cross that led to the game-winning goal. |
With Archer out getting a breather just before the tying goal, Raffaele came on and made her impact felt almost immediately on what started with a textbook rush down the field. A 50-50 ball was won in the back by Colleen Moran and she then two-touched up the left side of the field. The Warriors then switched fields with Morgan Sinton sending a ball to the corner flag for the streaking Santo, who chipped a cross along the six-yard box. Raffaele rose up over a defender and Germann to headed it inside the near post for a 2-1 Waldwick lead in the 71st minute.
“We always work on switching fields, getting a cross and then scoring in practice, so to see it all happening in a game setting was really cool,” said Raffaele. “Everything worked out perfectly. All I had to do was get my head on it. We really needed this win and for it to all come together in the second half like it did was fun to watch and be a part of.”
Mone made just four saves, but two were of the diving variety to help Waldwick (6-1) preserve the victory. Her counterpart, Germann, also had four saves for Emerson (6-3).
Presently, the win is a big one just as a confidence booster. It will mean even more down the road for power points come state tournament time where both teams are in a wide-open the North 1, Group 1 section.
“This is a huge win for us come seeding for both the counties and the states,” said Waldwick head coach Tommy Schultz. “It was a gutsy effort after not getting anything going in the first half. I thought when we started playing the ball to the corners and pressuring them down the sideline, things started to click for us. We kept our shape better in the second half and win 50-50 balls. That gave us some momentum and we took advantage of it when we needed to in crucial situations.”
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