Monday,
October 24, 2016
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
|
Hailey Ricciardi (center) scored on a set piece and played tough defense throughout as Ridgewood reached the Bergen County final for the first time since 1997 with a 2-0 win over River Dell. |
ORADELL – With a couple of exceptions, Ridgewood has been as consistently successful as any girls soccer program in Bergen County over the past two decades under longtime head coach Jeff Yearing, including appearances in the Bergen County Womans Coaches Association Tournament semifinals in each of the past three years.
Unfortunately for the Maroons, they ran into perennial power Northern Highlands in the Final 4 in each of those three seasons, all of which ended in shutout losses. Finally facing a new opponent in the county semifinals with a team chock full of experience, this was an opportunity for the Maroons to finally get over the hump. Thanks in large part to the play of senior sweeper Hailey Ricciardi they did just that.
Ricciardi scored in the 12th minute to open the scoring. She then focused on helping hold River Dell’s standout striker, Rachel Sorkenn, and the rest of the Hawks off the scoreboard as third-seeded Ridgewood advanced to the Bergen County final for the first time since 1997 with a 2-0 semifinal win over No. 7 seed River Dell on Sunday in Oradell.
“We had to change up our lineup a little bit because River Dell, and especially Rachel (Sorkenn), is so dangerous,” said Ricciardi. “We’ve worked really hard in practice and make it almost like a man mark with help over the top. It’s something we’ve had to get used to but it worked out well today.”
|
Alison Sorkenn (1) made seven saves for River Dell. |
Ridgewood came out and possessed the ball on the ground early to set the tone until breaking through in the 12th minute. It is not often that a sweeper comes up into the attacking third, but with a player as dangerous and instinctive as Ricciardi, Yearing gives her that freedom to roam on set pieces. It has been a successful endeavor in previous games this season and Ricciardi did it again on Sunday. Off of a corner kick from Hannah Cermack, Ricciardi headed it inside the far post for her sixth goal of the season to put the Maroons up 1-0.
“It’s a play that we’ve been doing pretty well all year and it worked again today,” added Ricciardi. “I got a little pocket of space from the defender and saw the header go right over the goalie’s hand. It was a great feeling to get the lead. I feel a little more pressure actually when we’re up 1-0 because we’ve had games where we’ve lost leads. We had to put those losses behind us and focus on the team in front of us.”
The goal seemed to wake up River Dell. The Hawks dominated the next 10 minutes, including having its two best scoring opportunities of the match. Sorkenn broke loose twice along the right side and it nearly led to the tying goal. Her hard centering pass along the six-yard box skipped through traffic with two Hawks unable to get a foot on it. Then, near the midway point of the first half, Sorkenn sent another cross in front that got deflected out in front where Jaclyn McCusker cracked a volley through a sea of players in front. Ridgewood’s sophomore netminder Britt Cunningham stayed low and had a bead on it, making the diving save and preserve the lead.
|
Marisabel Fernandez scored the insurance goal for Ridgewood, which will play top-seeded Northern Highlands in the Bergen County final. |
Trailing 1-0 at halftime in the Bergen County Tournament was familiar territory for River Dell. The Hawks trailed by a goal in each of their past two county games only for Sorkenn to score twice in the second half to beat Northern Valley/Old Tappan in the Round of 16 and then in the upset of second-seeded IHA last Sunday. Could the Hawks pull off another comeback to reach the county final?
Behind the play of Ricciardi and marking back Lillie Kloak, the Maroons made sure they were the ones celebrating when the final whistle blew. Kloak was outstanding over the final 60 minutes of the match, chasing Sorkenn all over the field and Ricciardi showed her usual poise in the back to pick off any dangerous passes in the middle of the field. Marisabel Fernandez poked a floating volley off the post and in with just over 21 minutes to play for the insurance goal as the Maroons punched a ticket to their first BCT finals berth in 19 years.
“I thought we came with a gameplan and for long stretches we executed it pretty well,” said Yearing. “The back line is really the backbone of this team and Hailey is the captain directing everything back there. We possessed the ball well, especially in the first 20-25 minutes.”
Cunningham made just three saves to earn the shutout for Ridgewood (14-4). Alison Sorkenn made seven saves for River Dell (10-4-1).
Although a round later this year, Ridgewood gets another date with, guess who? Top-seeded and defending Bergen County champion Northern Highlands. The Maroons will be an underdog once again, but this time there is a county title at stake and they plan to leave everything they have out on the field.
“The hard thing for us is that we play Northern Highlands on Tuesday before playing them in the county final on Sunday,” added Yearing. “It will be a great preparation for us to play them without trying to give away our gameplan for Sunday. We have to come up with a scheme that can substantiate how we keep them off the board and possess the ball better in the attacking third. It’s something we’ll work on and we’re up for the challenge.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS GAME. TO BUY A COLLECTOR'S PRINT
OF THIS STORY, PLEASE VISIT 4FeetGrafix.com. |