Tuesday,
October 21, 2014
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
ELMWOOD PARK – With the state tournament coming up in two weeks, this is the time where teams look to build momentum and fine tune their lineups in an effort to make a run towards a section title. Rutherford is one of those teams that are poised to make a run in a wide-open North 2, Group 2 bracket.
In years past, a match against Elmwood Park would be just what the doctor ordered. But the Crusaders have improved drastically throughout this season and gave the Bulldogs everything they could handle in a game that went right down to the wire. But Juliana Carton took a feed fro Kate Macmillan and drilled it home from eight yards out to help Rutherford climb above .500 for the first time in nearly a month with a hard-fought 1-0 triumph on Monday at Elmwood Park High School.
“It was a tough game but we kept playing hard and got the goal at the end,” said Rutherford sweeper and senior captain Pax Manning. “I think we’ve progressed really well throughout the season. When we stay on our marks and we pass the ball well, good things usually happen. We know this is an important time of the season so any win is a good win.”
Rutherford won the majority of the 50-50 balls in the opening stanza but struggled to get a good first touch on the ball. That allowed the aggressive defense of Elmwood Park, led by sweeper Andrzelika Soltys, to clear the ball away consistently as the Crusaders hung tough and kept the game scoreless heading into the second half.
The Bulldogs ramped up their attack and used Michelle Marques and Andrea Hernandez along the right flank to create numerous scoring opportunities. In a four-minute span early in the first half, the Bulldogs had three shots from within ten yards but were unable to put any of them on net. The wave of offense kept coming and finally the shots started going on net. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, Elmwood Park keeper Kathy Hanna (10 saves) showed what potential she has as the cornerstone for the program’s future. The 5’9” sophomore made several clutch saves from point-blank range to keep Rutherford off the scoreboard.
“This is a tough loss but in the big picture, we see what direction in which our program is heading,” said Elmwood Park head coach Samantha Rodriguez. “We used to be happy to not get totally dominated. Now we want to win whenever we step on the field and we’re hungry to become a better team.
" To hold Rutherford off until the 78th minute after losing to them 4-0 earlier in the season is a positive step. The fact that we’re so upset about this loss shows how far we’ve come.”
Late in the game, Elmwood Park (4-12) had a scoring chance of its own. Kristhine Martinez got the ball along the left side and looked for fellow freshman Belen Gamarra at the back post. Rutherford’s defense was solid all game long and it was Winter Shymko who was there to pick off the pass.
Not only did Shymko intercept the pass but hit a 60-yard clearing pass up the left side to start a fast break of sorts. Macmillan then ran onto the ball in transition and carried up the wing before cutting back along the top of the box. She slipped a pass to Carton, who cracked a shot past Hanna with 2:32 left for the game-winner.
“I saw Kate going down and wing, I hung back a little to give her an open target to pass to,” said Carton. “She gave a great pass and I ran onto it. When it came to me I just kicked it and tried to put it on frame.”
Rutherford (7-6-2) held a 21-5 advantage in shots and 11-1 in corner kicks. Meghan McLean needed to make just one save to earn the shutout. Behind a stellar effort from Manning and Shymko in the back, the shutout was McLean’s ninth of the season; meaning she has recorded a shutout in every one of Rutherford’s wins and both ties on the ledger.
That type of defense along with some athletic players up front is the exact kind of recipe that often bodes well for state tournament play. While the competition will be stiff, the potential is there for the Bulldogs to make a deep run.
“Scoring has been a troublesome thing for us this season, but if we can get that going in big games we can be dangerous,” said Rutherford head coach Marisa Yoda. “I thought we found feet much better in the second half and the scoring opportunities started to come as a result of that.
"We feel like we can be very competitive in (North 2 Group 2). We’ll be a lower seed, so we’ll take it one game at a time and see how far we can go.”
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