The winds were blowing a gale over Maple Park Field, and a bitter chill had some onlookers wrapped in blankets. On the turf, Ridgewood's varsity boys soccer squad was engaged in a heated match-up, an inspired battle where bodies were flailing, quality was excellent, and the home team provided its fans with great entertainment in a game against the St. Joseph's Green Knights that was a pleasure to watch.
Ultimately, the Maroons were successful, slaying the Green Knights, 2-0.
Following a crushing 6-0 defeat against Bergen’s best Don Bosco, No. 23 ranked Ridgewood (6-5) looked to bolster its resume and put the past behind them.
Find out what's happening in Ridgewood-Glen Rockwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Ten minutes, in both teams were playing an aggressive game, and though neither had provided any threatening chances, the ball was often found in the hands of the goalies as the teams exhibited a dog-fight from end to end.
At the 16-minute mark, the Maroon’s tough defense afforded the Green Knights (2-7) the first promising chance, which had the visiting crowd ready to throw up its arms with glee. A free kick sailed over three Ridgewood defenders in the wall, and with great force it curved towards the left corner post, but goalie Russell Tanner stopped its momentum.
Find out what's happening in Ridgewood-Glen Rockwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Such a fright was all the catalyst needed for the Maroons as they began to settle down some and play their game.
Subsequently, sophomore forward Alex Sommer controlled the ball down the sidelines and sent a number of quality crosses across the face of the visitors' goal. Junior forward Griffin Abbott, the team's leading scorer, had the Green Knights playing on their heels. With five minutes remaining in the half, he rocketed a shot from some distance outside the box that clipped the crossbar.
At a scoreless halftime, the winds had calmed, and it seemed very much like the quiet before the storm. Although it was still anyone’s game to win, the Maroons were beginning to lean on their opponents who were soon to fall.
Not but a moment or two after the second half whistle sounded, a stealthy counterattack by Ridgewood saw the ball come to Abbott in the goalie’s box. His performance, then, creating his own space and cutting inside past a hopeless defender, was something Ronaldo-esque, as he took a clean strike with his right into the near corner. Everyone in the crowd knew it was coming.
Minutes after, history repeated itself when a frustrated St. Josephs side left Abbott unattended on the wing, and the striker scored his ninth of the season. Ridgewood: 2, St. Joseph's 0.
From then on it was Ridgewood’s to lose, and the home team did not disappoint its fans.
Tanner, especially, played an outstanding game in net for the remainder—time and time again deflecting shots from close range and desisting any Green Knight attack with his impressive alertness and poise.
“We just broke it open in the second half. We kept getting our chances," defender Joey Mullen said. "We finished in the second is what the different was.”
The Maroons showed why they are a team to be reckoned with. Their chemistry shone, as midfielders Matt Sommer—who tallied an assist—and Yusuf Hamza, and others, communicated brilliantly, and proved to have great vision and a feel for the speed to control the game. Perhaps the best display of teamwork was late in the game when Tanner blocked a precarious shot by the visitors, and his defender was there to head out the rebound.
