Sunday, November 22, 2015

By Cory K. Doviak
NJS.com Editorial Director

Frankie Tagliaferri converted a PK 14 minutes into the second half for the only goal that Colts Neck needed to ended Northern Highlands' streak of four straight state titles, 1-0, in the Group 3 final on Saturday at Kean University.

UNION – The really remarkable part of Northern Highlands’ dominant five-year run is that the Highlanders have never had ‘one of those days.’ In soccer, where a funny bounce, a lucky shot, a ball bouncing off the post or a variety of other factors, can turn a dominant performance into a loss. That has not happened to Highlands in its four-year reign as Group 3 state champion. Playing against the best public schools New Jersey has to offer, the Highlanders were always able to find a way through like in this year’s state semifinal round when they beat West Morris in a penalty kick shootout.

But the odds, no matter how long they have been defied, will always begin to even themselves out and that process might just have started on Saturday in the Group 3 state final against Colts Neck, a rematch of last year’s championship tilt that Highlands won handily.

Highlands won the possession battle by a wide margin; the Highlanders had an 18-5 advantage in shots and had the better of play by most measures except the only one that really matters. Colts Neck rode a penalty kick awarded to Frankie Tagliaferrii 14 minutes into the second half and a brilliant effort between the pipes by Lauren Feaster down the stretch to end Northern Highlands' streak of state titles at four, 1-0, at Kean University.

Colts Neck absorbed a lot of pressure in the first half, but when it got to the break still scoreless, it knew the game was there for the taking.

“It was going to take the same kind of effort and then maybe something magical from Frankie and that is exactly what happened,” said Colts Neck head coach Doug Phillips. “We were missing a senior captain [Bridgette King] and then we had the girls starting in place of her go out with an injury. We had two reserve players in and we held Northern Highlands scoreless for a half. We talked about keeping it 0-0 and maybe we could get a lucky break or a set piece and put one on the board. Then we could just defend and that is what happened.”

Feaster is a good athlete, a central defender and a good basketball player. What she was not, before this season at least, was a goalkeeper. Pressed into the job based on need, Feaster scrambled to catch up on the years of training it usually takes to be a netminder at the highest levels of New Jersey high school soccer. On Saturday, she scrambled to keep Highlands off the board and did it well.

Eva Hurm (right) and the Northern Highlands offense created plenty of chances, but were kept out.

She made her first highlight reel save in the 12th minute when she dove to push Amy Harris’ rip from the arc around the post and her day only got busier from there. She was repeatedly tested in the first half, but Colts Neck, despite spending most of the game in its defensive half, did not give up many opportunities inside the penalty area. With Highlands shooting mostly from distance, Feaster had time to track the ball and make plays.

“I had never played goalie before this year, so I trained all summer and as the season has gone along I have gained more and more confidence,” said Feaster. “I was nervous for this game, but I had so much adrenaline going through me that I all I did was focus on the ball and focusing on keeping it out of the goal.”

She spilled a couple of rebounds, but the Cougars defense was quick to clear away trouble and the frustration grew for Highlands. Colts Neck did not have what could be termed a real dangerous offensive chance until it put together a precise counterattack 13 minutes into the second half.

Kayla Lee started it and moved it quickly to Tara Walencyzk in the middle. Walenczyk then hit Tagliaferri on a diagonal run and she continued it until she was 1-v-1 against Highlands keeper Kayla Klatt, who raced out to cut the angle and then made a brilliant save, a sliding effort on which she was able get her left glove out just in time.

But, less than a minute later, Tagliaferri got into the box again and this time she was knocked over by a defender. The referee pointed to the penalty spot, Tagliaferri chose the upper left and Colts Neck had a 1-0 lead with 25:56 remaining in the game.

Lauren Feaster, a first year goalkeeper, was outstanding in net for Colts Neck, which won its first ever state title.

“Before that [PK] I was on a breakaway and I missed it. I knew I had to keep working hard to get that back for my team. We all kept working hard and I got fouled,” said Tagliaferri, a junior who has already committed to Penn State. “When I take a PK I don’t have one side that I always go to. I just got up to it and whatever way [the keeper] dives, I just go to the other side.”

Feaster punched away Julia Pash’s knuckling effort with 6:28 to play, she got her fists on a free kick taken by Casey Richards with five minutes to play as Pash and Julia Homan crashed the net and then saved her best for last.

Inside the final two minutes, Colts Neck had a chance to lump the ball forward, but one of its defenders stepped on the ball and turned it over in a dangerous spot. Pash jumped on the miscue and slotted the ball for Ariel Somple running on the left. Feaster needed a full dive to close down her right post and Claudia DiPasupil’s rebound attempt was blown up on the doorstep.

Just over a minute later, Colts Neck was in full celebration of its first ever outright state championship.

“Last year we were new to this. We weren’t even ranked coming into last season and when we got here it was huge. Our eyes were huge and we didn’t know what to expect,” said Tagliaferri. “It stunk, the outcome [of last year’s game], but we knew that this year was ours.”

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