Caden O'Connell scored the second goal for Ramapo, which advanced to the Group 3 state final for the first time since 2016 with a 3-0 win over Cranford in Frnaklin Lakes.
FRANKLIN LAKES – This late in the season and on a cold night in Franklin Lakes, those standing on the track behind the home team's bench at Drew Gibbs Field were all "soccer guys," so they all had well informed opinions to one question: "Who is Ramapo's best player?"
Who came out with the most votes is inconsequential. It was the debate that was the true measure of this Ramapo team, which put on another dominant show on Tuesday night in the Group 3 state semifinal.
In getting to their final answer, just about all of the core players got consideration as did the defense as a unit of three backs and a goalkeeper that has had every opponent in this 20-1 season on lockdown.
No matter the grading criteria, Ramapo has a player to fill the role. The Raiders have talent, drive and leadership in excess and they are heading to the Group 3 state final for the first time since 2016 after dismantling Cranford, 3-0, in the final game on their home field for a tight-knit group of 17 seniors.
"I think that is the greatest thing about this. Not only are we one of the hardest working teams in New Jersey, we have 11 solid players on the field at all times. We have been playing club, nine of use are starters on our club team. We have that bond that other team might not have," said Ramapo senior defender Zach Zarzar. "We have been playing together for so long, all these boys as a whole, and we have that camaraderie. We want the end goal to be the state final and we are all excited for it."
Ramapo will play Middletown South for the Group 3 state championship on Saturday at Franklin High School. After a slight feeling out period against an unfamiliar Cranford side, it pretty quickly became apparent which way the semifinal was heading.
Jacob Preziosi, who scored twice in the semifinals, added an assist on Ramapo's final goal.
It's not that Ramapo does not value a good scout of its upcoming opponents, especially the ones with which it does not have a strong history, it's just that it believes in its system and approach and it is up to the opponent to adjust.
"It's all about what we do and the standard that we hold ourselves to," said Ramapo head coach Evan Baumgarten. "In the previous game [against Randolph in the section final] we did some things because some of their players posed problems. We weren't marking their guy, but we were aware of what he was doing and the rest was up to us to find our way based on our training."
That process took about five minutes as Cranford, with its adrenaline pumping, came out on the front foot. Ramapo, on the other hand, took some uncharacteristically heavy touch, put too much weight on forward passes and struggled to connect...briefly.
By about the sixth minute the eventual outcome looked inevitable as the Raiders started to poke the holes that it was creating with its increased possession settled nerves.
"I think we had a little bit of nerves. The seniors knew this was their last game on this field, and that creates a different energy," said Baumgarten, who team settled in and held a lopsided possession for the final 75 minutes or so. "We are fortunate that we have good players and they hold a high standard in training. I always believe that you drop to the level of your training and for us that standard is high."
And then, just over 10 minutes in, Jordan Hunt scored to give Ramapo the lead for good and it was no more than the Raiders deserved. Hunt hit one from the top of the box that hit off a defender and ricochetted in for the game's first goal.
Zach Zarzar and the Ramapo defense has been lockdown all season.
"At the beginning of the game we try to settle in, figure out our opponent and move the ball around a little. We are really just concerned with playing our game and not really letting the other team affect it," said Hunt. "Once we settled in, you could see what happened. We got a lot of chances; we were moving the ball well across the back and through the midfield. It took us a second to step into our game, but once we did we were very comfortable."
Ramapo doubled its lead before halftime when Caden O'Connell got in on the right and went back across goal to make it 2-0 in the 23rd minute and Hunt scored the lone goal of the second half when he ran onto a Jacob Preziosi feed and blasted home 15:56 from time.
And all the while, the Raiders defense just kept winning balls and matriculating them up the field. Brody Benner, Aidan McHale and Zarzar have been an impenetrable force in front of goalkeeper Julian Lora all season long.
Ramapo's only loss of the season came to Bergen Catholic when a penalty kick was given with 24 seconds left in the second overtime. So, technically, the Raiders trailed for zero seconds in that game because it was over one the ball crossed the goal line. They gave up the first goal in their Bergen County quarterfinal match against Mahwah in a game they eventually won, 5-1.
Other than that, they have been tied at 0 or ahead in every other minute they have played this season, which will conclude one way or the other in the Group 3 state final against Middletown South on Saturday at Franklin High School.
"I have been playing with [Zar]zar and Aidan and whoever else comes on defense for all of my life now, ever since I started Torpedoes and it is a band of brothers back there. That means a lot on defense when you know you can trust the person behind you," said Benner. "This is it. I have been here for four years at Ramapo, I love it and it is coming to an end. It's sad to see, but we all want to leave a good legacy here and that means going on and trying to win it all."
FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS EVENT PLEASE CLICK HERE. TO BUY A COLLECTOR'S PRINT OF THIS STORY PLEASE VISIT 4-FeetGrafix.com.
