Nicole Crane (8) scored twice in a three-goal spurt early in the second half that led Glen Rock to a 3-0 win over Park Ridge in the North 1, Group 1 state sectional semifinals.
GLEN ROCK – When working hard towards a shot at a state sectional title, watching an opposing team celebrate a state win on your home field is about as empty of a feeling as any team could possibly feel on the pitch. The abrupt ending and the realization of falling short of the ultimate team goal is an emotional close to a long season. For those players who return the following year, it can serve as the ultimate motivation to make sure they never experience that feeling again.
That exact scenario is what has driven Glen Rock all year long after losing in the section semifinals to Hawthorne on its home field in 2021. But with a gritty Park Ridge side battling the Panthers through a scoreless first half and then dominating possession early in the second half, it looked like the Panthers could potentially suffer the same fate this season. Glen Rock bent on a few occasions but never broke. After surviving an early second-half storm, the Panthers started taking more chances in the attacking third and found eventual success.
Ryan Doyle opened the scoring and Nicole Crane found the back of the net twice. All three goals came in a 4:40 span as second-seeded Glen Rock moved into the North 1, Group 1 section final with a 3-0 semifinal victory over sixth-seeded Park Ridge on Tuesday afternoon at Glen Rock High School.
“We felt confident going into the second half, but we knew we had to capitalize and score first,” said Doyle. “The lesson we learned from the Hawthorne loss last year and the first half today is we need to be more aggressive and take as many shots as possible. Our closeness as a team off the field helps us work well on the field. We believe in each other that together we’ll find a way to win.””
Park Ridge's Allie Shenloogian finished the season with a team-high 22 goals.
Glen Rock had three quality scoring chances in the first half, all coming from the speedy Doyle up top. One just missed wide right and the other two were saved by charging Park Ridge keeper Mackenzie Brattlof. The Panthers had an edge in possession throughout the first half. As the half wound down the Owls started to settle in. They kept Glen Rock off the scoreboard in the first half and carried that momentum over into the second half.
The Owls started pushing numbers forward in the second half and came out flying right from the opening whistle. They earned three corner kicks and had a pair of shots on net in the first five minutes. The Panthers were on their heels until one counterattack changed the complexion of the game.
Stephanie Biskobing picked off a pass neat midfield and chipped a long ball that looked as if it would harmlessly bounce over the goal line and out-of-bounds for a goal kick. Doyle never gave up on the play, saving the ball from going out while simultaneously shielding a defender from making a play on it. That allowed the chance to settle it then chip it from a tough angle past Brattlof and into the side netting inside the far post to give Glen Rock a 1-0 lead.
Just 1:56 later, Crane rose up between two defenders at the far post to head home a corner kick from Carly Kopelman to make it a two-goal lead. The Panthers put the game away in the 53rd minute with Crane providing the knockout blow. Nina Danyluk and Mia Bernstein worked a give-and-go leading to a cross from Danyluk into the center of the box. Crane settled the ball and blasted a shot home to make it 3-0.
Nina Danyluk had an assist for Glen Rock, which will play Waldwick in the section final.
“Once (Doyle) put one in the back of the net, that gave us a huge boost,” said Crane. “We felt like if we kept connecting passes through the midfield and keep up the high pressure that we’d get some good chances in the second half. Every game we get better as a team and that’s showing with what we’ve been able to do on the field.”
Annie Leonard made five saves to earn the shutout for Glen Rock (16-2-2). The Panthers also got solid performances along the back line from Vivian Ferreri and Harper Goshin.
Brattlof had ten saves for Park Ridge, whose season ended with a 14-3-3 record. What was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Owls turned out to be a rebuilding one. The future is bright as they return their entire starting lineup, led by Allie Shenloogian (a team-high 22 goals) and Amanda Cicero (10 goals, seven assists).
“We had our chances early in the second half, unfortunately it didn’t go our way today,” said Park Ridge head coach Dylan Evans. “To win 14 games and get to a section semifinal in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year is impressive. We’ve accomplished a lot, we’re proud of those accomplishments. Next year we bring our entire lineup back and we’ll be ready to make another run.”
Glen Rock will look to win its first section title since 2013 and it will face a familiar foe with the North 1, Group 1 section title on the line. The Panthers will travel to face top-seeded Waldwick, which advanced in a penalty-kick shootout over Pequannock in the other section semifinal. They played back in early October with Waldwick earning a 1-0 win at Glen Rock. This time the game will be on Waldwick’s home turf. With nothing to lose and everything to gain, the Panthers are excited at the opportunity to be the ones celebrating.
“We know what we’re up against, but we’ll be confident and ready to go,” said Glen Rock head coach Steve Grenz. “Waldwick has already come in and beaten us on our field, they’re a very strong team. We had a good game today and really came on in the second half. We’re feeling really good about ourselves and we’re very happy with getting to a section final. But that’s out the window now. Our team will have to step up again like they did today. As well as we played today, we must put it behind us and focus on the game ahead of us.”
FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS EVENT PLEASE CLICK HERE. TO BUY A COLLECTOR'S PRINT OF THIS STORY PLEASE VISIT 4-FeetGrafix.com
