Paramus Catholic defeated Pingry, 2-1 in double overtime, Monday to advance to Thursday’s North, Non-Public A sectional final. There they will meet top-seeded Immaculate Heart for the third time this season.
Paramus Catholic’s Camryn Bury sent home the golden goal game-winner off an assist from Tanaya Perez with 3:15 left in double overtime to lift the second-seeded Paladins to a thrilling, 2-1 win over sixth-seeded Pingry in the North, Non-Public A semifinals Monday. The win sets up an All-North Jersey North, Non-Public A final Thursday, featuring PC and Big North United rival Immaculate Heart, who the Paladins have fallen to twice this season, 3-1 and 2-0.
“This is what we’ve dreamed of, especially us seniors and it being our last year together,” said Bury, who chased down Perez’s pass into the box and buried it to the left side of the net to ignite a wild celebration. “We’re really excited to get this far and want to win the whole thing. It’s what we’ve worked toward for four months.”
In the 60th minute, and with PC trailing, 1-0, Gemma Perez supplied the equalizer off an assist from Juliana Mascelli, while goalie Reyna Villar made five saves in the victory.
“We’re confident going into the game against IHA,” Bury said. “We’re going in strong and we’re going to give ourselves a chance.”
No. 1 IMMACULATE HEART 3, No. 4 UNION CATHOLIC 0 (at Washington Twp.): Julianna Shrekgast, Cayla Chlimoek and Tatum Albrecht all scored after halftime off assists from Shannon Burns, Julia Raith and Tori Muller as the reigning Non-Public A champion Blue Eagles advanced to Thursday’s sectional final, which will be played at 5 p.m. at Passaic Tech.
NORTH 1, GROUP 2
Mahwah’s Sarah Jordan (10) and Valerie Busch celebrate following the Thunderbirds’ go-ahead goal in the second half of their 2-1 win over Ramsey in Monday’s sectional semifinals.
No. 3 MAHWAH 2, No. 2 RAMSEY 1 (at Ramsey): Having recorded no goals entering Monday, Mahwah outside back Valerie Busch, a senior captain, scored the equalizer from 25 yards out off a Thunderbirds corner play with 27:05 left then was credited with the game-winner with 14:34 to go after sending a kick from just outside the 18 into the box that went off the head of a Ramsey defender and into the net.
“The feeling I have right now… is amazing,” Busch said. “I’ve never felt like this, ever. I’m just so happy we won, happy I was able to score, happy that it came against Ramsey and that we’re moving on. Nothing like this has ever happened to me and it’s great I can share it with my team like this.”
With the game deadlocked at 1 with 22:45 left, Mahwah’s Michele Silva made the save of the game — and one of her 12 on the day — aggressively attacking all the way out near the 18 and bodied an open Ramsey shot attempt with a sliding denial. The Rams’ struck in the 7th minute to quickly grab a 1-0 lead on an Olivia Gilligan goal off a right-to-left cross from Devan Larsen. This was the third meeting of the year between the Thunderbirds and Rams, with the Big North Patriot rivals splitting the season series. Mahwah won the outright title by one half game.
“I know we won the league outright, but it came down to a couple of ties,” said Carrelha, referencing a pair of late-season Ramsey draws which allowed the T-Birds to grab the outright crown. “This way we can turn around and say we deserved it now.”
No. 1 RAMAPO 4, No. 4 RIVER DELL 0 (at Franklin Lakes): Sommer Cochran factored in to three of Ramapo’s four goals, scoring once and assisting on two others, while Karlie Brogan, Nikki Butler and Erin Racano all supplied one goal as the Green Raiders raced out to a 3-0 halftime lead. Back Monica Scaglione also provided one assist, as top-seeded Ramapo, last year’s Group 2 state runner-up, will now take on No. 3 Mahwah, seeking its first sectional title since 2010, in Thursday’s final. The Raiders defeated the Thunderbirds, 2-0, in a regular season game earlier this year.
NORTH 1, GROUP 1
Midland Park’s Jenna Passero struck for a hat trick in the Panthers’ 4-0 win over Wallkill Valley in Monday’s North 1, Group 1 sectional semifinals.
No. 4 MIDLAND PARK 4, No. 9 WALLKILL VALLEY 0 (at Midland Park): Jenna Passero struck for a hat trick, Emma Lein scored once and Melissa Lein supplied two assists as the Panthers, who raced out to a 3-0 halftime lead, are one win away from their first sectional title since 1994.
“We wanted to start strong,” said Midland Park Alison Kilgallen, whose team got a goal from Passero in the opening minutes. “We wanted to score first [and] quickly and we did that.”
For a senior class that was part of a four-win team as freshmen, the Panthers have come a long way in the past three years. “The kids that were freshmen at that time learned really quick how to be varsity players,” Kilgallen said. “They were great leaders in those years and they had to grow up really fast. From then on, they’ve been working their tails off to get where they wanted to be.”
Midland Park is now 16-3-2 and set to appear in a sectional final.
“This team is very focused,” Kilgallen said after the Panthers’ 10th straight win. “They set really high goals and were working really hard to get there every single day.”
– The Record’s Sean Farrell contributed to this recap
No. 6 KINNELON 4, No. 10 CRESSKILL 0 (at Kinnelon): Ida DiClemente scored twice, Kara Connolly supplied one goal and one assist, Sam Van Zile scored once and Julia Kleczkowski supplied two assists as the reigning Group 1 state champion Colts advanced to the sectional final, where they’ll meet No. 4 Midland Park. Cresskill’s Cinderella run through North 1, Group 1 came to an end, but not before pulling off back-to-back upsets against No. 7 Emerson and No. 2 Waldwick in the first and second rounds.
NORTH 1, GROUP 3
Wayne Valley celebrating after its 4-1 win over crosstown rival Wayne Hills in Monday’s North 1, Group 3 semifinals.
No. 6 WAYNE VALLEY 4, No. 1 WAYNE HILLS 0 (at Wayne Hills): Randi Smith wasn’t shy about it following Wayne Valley’s opening round state tournament win over Pascack Valley. “We want to see them again so bad,” she said last week. “It’s been kind of a roller-coaster season for us. A little bit up and down. But we’d all love one last shot at Hills.”
Smith and the Indians got their wish — and their last chance at redemption against their crosstown rival this season after falling to them in the three previous meetings — and made the most of it in a dominant performance, fueled by Smith’s one goal and two assists. Senior Jen Cannarella gave Wayne Valley the early lead — and an early dose of confidence — when she sent one home off a Smith assist.
“We just wanted it so bad,” Smith said Monday. “We weren’t about to go down to them. Once we got up, we made sure we stayed up.”
It would remain a 1-0 game into halftime, until the Indians came out firing early in the second half. Smith scored off a Cannarella assist 2:15 after the break and Alexa Simonetti ripped an unassisted, 25-yard strike to put Wayne Valley comfortably ahead, 3-0. Freshman Sydney Rosenkrantz capped Wayne Valley’s scoring with 23 minutes left off Smith’s second assist to go up, 4-0. Wayne Hills’ Meghan Griffin prevented Brianna DeLuccia’s bid for a shutout with under two minutes to go, but DeLuccia was solid in net all game and finished with seven saves.
“We wanted big things this season,” said Simonetti, whose team fell to Wayne Hills twice in the regular season (both times, 2-1) and again in the Passaic County semifinals, 2-0. “And they were the ones to take it all away from us. This was the last chance, especially for our seniors. … We’re living it up right now. This one was ours.”
– Jim Hague, Special to The Record, contributed to this recap
No. 1 NORTHERN HIGHLANDS 4, No. 4 NV/OLD TAPPAN 0 (at Allendale): The undefeated Highlanders did all their damage in the first half, getting a pair of goals from Eva Hurm and one a piece from Julia Homan and Amy Harris. Casey Richards, Ariel Somple, Morgan Busacca and Sarah Kelly all provided one assist and Northern Highlands picked up its 14th straight shutout and 19th in 21 games (have allowed two goals all year). Highlands, the four-time defending Group 3 state champion, will meet No. 6 Wayne Valley in Thursday’s sectional final.
NORTH 2, GROUP 1
No. 2 HASBROUCK HEIGHTS 2, No. 3 BELVIDERE 1 (at Hasbrouck Heights): All scoring was done in the first half, as Victoria Barris and Stephanie Dallara both scored and Felicia Cascone supplied one assist as the Aviators advanced to the sectional final, where they’ll meet top-seeded Glen Ridge, a 9-0 victor over North Arlington Monday.
No. 1 GLEN RIDGE 9, No. 4 NORTH ARLINGTON 0 (at Glen Ridge): Princeton-bound senior Tomison Kennedy struck for four goals as top-seeded Glen Ridge opened up an 8-0 halftime lead en route to the 9-0 win. Glen Ridge will take on Hasbrouck Heights in Monday’s sectional final.
NORTH 1, GROUP 4
No. 3 KEARNY 1, No. 10 RIDGEWOOD 0 (at Kearny): Isabel Fernandez scored after halftime for the game’s lone goal to eliminate the Maroons from the state tournament. Ridgewood, a Bergen County semifinalist, finishes the year 12-8-4.
NORTH 2, GROUP 2
No. 4 PARSIPPANY 3, No. 1 LYNDHURST 1 (at Lyndhurst): The Golden Bears’ storybook season came to an end Monday night, as Parsippany’s Haley Pignatelli scored twice and Paige Kaiser added another. Lyndhurst finishes its season at 18-2-2, opening the season with a loss, ending the season with a loss, but rattling off a 20-game unbeaten streak in between, as the Bears captured the NJIC Liberty division title in the process. Amanda Fulcher supplied Lyndhurst’s lone goal of the game Monday night in the first half, as Parsippany took a 2-1 lead into half time.