Tuesday,
November 10, 2015
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Kearny celebrated its 1-0 win over Ridgewood on Monday that puts the Kardinals through to the North 1,
Group 4 final against Montclair. |
KEARNY –As Kearny walked off the field at halftime locked in a scoreless duel with Ridgewood, the Kardinals knew something had to change in the second half or there was a good chance that their season would be over. Having not put any shots on target over the first 40 minutes, it took just one shot in the second half to change the complexion of the game.
Isabel Fernandez ripped a shot from the top of the box into the lower left-hand corner less than three minutes into the second half. That goal stood up as third-seeded Kearny advanced to the North 1 Group 4 final with 1-0 semifinal win over No. 10 Ridgewood on Monday at Harvey Field in Kearny.
“Our problem all year showed itself here again. We just couldn't finish in the offensive third,” said Ridgewood head coach Jeff Yearing. “Once Kearny scored, we fell back into a mode of trying to do too much. I thought in the last 10 minutes we got back to our controlling possession, but it was too late. With everyone coming back next year though, this is a learning experience that will only help us grow.”
Ridgewood was the lowest seed remaining in the North 1, Group 4 bracket. During the first half, the Maroons did not play like a team content to sit back and play conservative. They connected passes and moved the ball well and made sure that Kearny's explosive offense never got into a flow. The best scoring opportunity for either team came in the final seconds of the half when Hailey Ricciardi bent a dangerous corner kick towards the upper corner at the far post. Sophomore keeper Megan McClelland was right there to make the leaping save for Kearny and keep the game 0-0 at the half.
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Lillie Kloak and Ridgewood finished the season with a 12-8-4 record and trips to the county and sectional semifinals. |
“Ridgewood is a very solid team defensively and we weren't having our best technical game in the first half,” said Kearny head coach Vin Almeida. “If the technical game isn't working as well as you want it to, you have to make things happen in other ways. I thought we had to increase our effort and getting a quick goal got us back on track.”
The halftime speech worked as Kearny's aggressive style of play returned with immediate results. On a counterattack Kearny playmaker Sydney Pace sent a through ball into space that Fernandez ran onto. She took a touch then unleashed a perfect low strike past diving Ridgewood keeper Britt Cunningham (six saves) and just inside the left post to give Kearny a 1-0 lead in the 43rd minute.
“It was just a touch and shoot situation and get the shot on goal,” said Fernandez. “I had a second to pick my head up before I got my first touch, so I had an idea of where I wanted to go with the shot. I was surprised that it went in but really happy that it did.”
Following the Fernandez goal, Ridgewood had two good looks at the net from 18 yards out over the next 10 minutes. However, the Maroons did not take the shot either time and through balls eventually went over the end line and out of play for goal kicks.
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Isabel Fernandez scored the game's lone goal for Kearny, which is now 20-3-1. |
Ridgewood (12-8-4) tried to push extra numbers forward late in an effort to net the tying goal. The Kardinal defense hung tough as outside fullbacks Natasha Magee and Merrin Keim played well down the stretch and Kearny advanced to the North 1, Group 4 section final for the first time in eight years.
McClelland made eight saves but was barely tested for Kearny (20-3-1). The Kardinals will be at home in front of a packed house on Thursday in the North 1 Group 4 final. They will face longtime nemesis Montclair, the No. 4 seed. The Mounties have ended Kearny's season in the states three out of the past six years. Kearny has not beaten Montclair since doing so in 2007 in the North 1 Group 4 title game.
Almeida knows that his team must start stronger than they did yesterday if they plan on avoiding another frustrating exit at the hands of Montclair.
“We can't have the lulls in play that we had today against Montclair or those chances will end up in the back of the net,” added Almeida. “A team with a lot of offensive weapons will take full advantage of that and Montclair has those. We have to get focused these next couple of days and get ourselves mentally prepared for the game on Thursday.”
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