Wednesday,
November 18, 2015
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Senior Kayla Klatt making the save that kept Northern Highlands' season alive in the eighth round of a penalty kick shootout. The Highlanders beat West Morris Central, 0-0 (6-5 PKs) in the
Group 3 semifinals on Tuesday night. |
BASKING RIDGE – For all the different tactical approaches and different philosophies high school coaches cover in training sessions, almost all of them end them by practicing one of the most rare scenarios the game of soccer has to offer. The teams left playing at this time of the year are the state’s best for sure, but trying to simulate how a penalty-kick shootout, where one flubbed kick or missed save can make the difference, is almost impossible. That kind of pressure is not easy to reproduce on a practice field with the stands empty.
Northern Highlands has had little reason to worry about that in recent years as it has dominated state tournament opposition in Group 3. But on Tuesday night the Highlanders finally met their match. Facing a West Morris Central team that was looking for a landmark win, the Highlanders were stymied time and again by West Illisa Webb, the WMC goalkeeper. After 100 minutes of scoreless play, the Highlanders were headed to penalty kicks.
With their season and their legendary four-year run of postseason success teetering on the brink, the Highlanders dug in. Casey Richards and Morgan Busacca scored goals in the sudden-death phase of the penalty kick shootout to keep the game alive long enough for senior goalie Kayla Klatt to play the role of the hero. She dove to her left to make a save on a PK and Eva Hurm followed with the game-winner as Northern Highlands advanced to a fifth straight Group 3 state final with a hard-fought 1-0 (6-5 in PKs) victory in over West Morris Central in the Group 3 state semifinals at Ridge High School in Basking Ridge.
“It's something that we practice every day since the beginning of October when the county tournament comes around,” said Northern Highlands' head coach Tara Madigan. “You have to be prepared for it and you're foolish to think that you're invincible.”
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Eva Hurm made the final PK for Highlands, which will play Colts Neck in Saturday's state final. |
Northern Highlands has often beaten teams before getting off the bus on intimidation alone or gone into state playoff games having to face an opponent packing the box to try and neutralize their dynamic offense. West Morris was not afraid and had no intention of playing defense all night long. The Wolfpack surprised the Highlanders by knocking the ball around throughout the first half and creating some quality scoring chances.
If a team gets one or two quality scoring chances over the course of an entire game against Northern Highlands that is generally considered a success. The Wolfpack did more than just that by getting three good looks at the net in a four-minute span during the opening stanza. The last of those three was the best for either team throughout the match as Emily Leyson headed a long cross off the post in the 27th minute. For the first time since its opening game against national power Maria Carillo (CA), Northern Highlands was outplayed in possession game and in terms of scoring chances in the first half.
“I think we tried to do things too perfectly in the first half,” added Madigan. “We talked at halftime about keeping the game simple and playing the ball wide. I thought we created more dangerous opportunities in the second half, but a lot of our shots were right at the keeper.”
The Highlanders asserted themselves in the second half by winning balls in the midfield, using the flanks, and getting their outside fullbacks involved in the attack with overlapping runs. The great equalizer to all of that is an aggressive, sure-handed goaltender.
Illissa Webb was lights out through regulation and the overtime periods for West Morris. Madison Pook had three legitimate scoring chances in the second half for Northern Highlands only for Webb to be in position every time. Her best chance was the first of those three, running onto a through ball from Casey Richards. She had some space to get off a hard shot but Webb charged off of her line to make a sprawling save in the 53rd minute as regulation ended with the game still scoreless.
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Highlands celebrated its return to the state final where it will try to tie a state record with a fifth straight championship. |
Madison Kahn and Richards each had good looks from the top of the box through traffic in the first overtime. Both were right at Webb, who corralled both shots without giving up a rebound. Neither team got off a shot on net in the second overtime and PKs would be needed to decide which team moved on and which went home.
“It's still so nerve-wracking talking about it now,” said Hurm. “When the second overtime whistle ended, we knew we were going to penalty kicks. We were confident but it just kept going and going. We love the pressure and we love the excitement.”
Tied at 2 through four rounds of penalty kicks, West Morris (20-1-2) scored to take a 3-2 lead put Northern Highlands' undefeated season one miskick or one save away from being over just like that. Senior standout Casey Richards clearly did not feel the pressure as she stepped up and calmly ripped a shot into the lower left-hand corner to tie it at 3.
It was still tied through five kickers and the remaining players stepping up to shoot would do so in a sudden-death format. West Morris scored on its next two shots, but the Highlanders answered right back with goals from Richards and Morgan Busacca. Despite not being able to turn aside any of the first seven shots she faced, Klatt stuck to her gameplan with the confidence that it would eventually it would pay off. On the Wolfpack's last shooter, it finally did.
Klatt was looking to get any advantage she could and took a leap of faith, literally. She dove full extension to her left to push a shot wide of the post that put the Highlanders in a position to keep their dream season going.
“I got on the line on the last shooter and said to myself, 'I need to make this save',” said Klatt. “I was just trying to look at the shooter's knee and I dove to the right side.”
It was all Eva Hurm needed. Webb (11 saves) guessed right on the direction of the shot, but it was not enough. The Notre Dame-bound senior ripped it too hard for the keeper to handle as it went off of Webb's hands and in to net end the game with the Highlanders pouring onto the field in a raucous celebration.
“On the second shot I had I was trying to read her a little bit and keep her off-balance,” said Hurm. “It's amazing to do what we've done with this team. This team has been so much fun and we're so close that we're like a big family.”
Northern Highlands is now one win away from tying the state record of five consecutive state championships. The four-time defending Group 3 state champs will take on Colts Neck for the Group 3 crown on Saturday at Kean University with a 3:00 P.M. kickoff. For a team that is filled with experienced seniors, most of whom have been starting since either their freshman or sophomore years, the Highlanders know just what is at stake on Saturday. With one last time on the field together they want to go out just as they came in: as champions.
“This was a huge win for our entire team,” said Klatt. “Everyone on the team worked really hard to get to where we are and we can't wait to play on Saturday.”
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