Unbeaten Westfield
defeats Knolls in
Group 4 semifinal
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DENVILLE - The Morris Knolls High School girls soccer team got a first-hand look at what a good soccer team can do in the Lady Eagles' season-ending 1-0 loss to unbeaten Westfield.
Truth be told, so did Westfield.
The Westfield (21-0-2) defense did what it has done all season - pitched a shutout, its 20th of the season - and by so doing, advanced to the NJSIAA's Group 4 championship game against Lenape at the College of New Jersey on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 11:45 a.m.
But Knolls, which finished its season at 16-4-1, didn't go away as easily as a shutout victim should.
Westfield scored the only goal of the game 2:36 into the first half when Amanda Markowski one-timed a pass from Meg Freudenheim from close in.
Freudenheim got control of the ball in traffic in front of the net, faked a shot to draw the defense and Knolls goaltender Jennifer Vandervalk to her, and then put a pass sideways onto Markowski's foot which Markowski then drilled into the back of the net.
Although Westfield enjoyed a 7-2 advantage in shots on goal in the first half, the winners did not beat Vandervalk again for the rest of the game as she finished with nine saves.
Vandervalk biggest save came late in the first half when she stopped a close-in attempt by Westfield's Alexandra Tinfow. Tinfow had broken into the penalty all alone, but Vandervalk came out to meet Tinfow and dropped to her knees and was able to smother the shot before Tinfow got a chance to get a good leg into it.
Morris Knolls put six shots on Westfield goalie Meg Brody.
The Lady Eagles' best chance to score came about seven minutes after Westfield's goal when Megan Halsch sent Emma Coccia in on Brody and Coccia tried to loft the ball over the keeper's head only to have Brody leap backward and to her right to make the save.
Knolls got off two more quality shots late in the final 10 minutes of the game - one each by Halsch and Coccia - only to have Brody make the stop each time.
Morris Knolls coach Stephan Zdanowicz knew her Lady Eagles would be in for the stiffest test of the season because Westfield "... has the ability to attack in all different ways.
"They were quicker to the ball than we were tonight," Zdanowicz was quoted as saying after the game. "They have a talanted team and they are on a great run.
"But you can't take anything away from my team and the great effort everyone gave in this game and throughout the season. Right now, they're disappointed but in time, they will be proud of what they have accomplished this season."
NOTES: Westfield gave up single goals to Scotch Plains and East Brunswick in the regular season and to Ridge in the North 2, Group 4 title game - with Westfield winning all three games 2-1 ... Lenape (22-1) beat Jackson (21-4) by a score of 3-2 in the other Group 4 semifinal Tuesday ... the last time the Lady Eagles reached a group title game was in 2002 when they lost the Group 3 finale to Toms River South ... Halsch was Morris Knolls' leading scorer with 10 goals and 11 assists ... Coccia finished the season with nine goals ... of Knolls' 16 victories, 12 were by shutout. ...
Knolls win section title on Coccia's goal
DENVILLE - Emma Coccia scored the only goal of the game with less than three minutes left in regulation as Morris Knolls beat Montclair, 1-0, in the championship game of the NJSIAA North 1, Group 4 sectional state tournament at Gardner Field here on Thursday, Nov. 11.
A throw-in by the Knolls' Christie McCormick started the game-winning play. Megan Halsch got to the ball and sent a header in the direction of Coccia, who settled the ball and drove it past Montclair keeper Maddi Fabbro for the victory.
Lady Eagle goalie Jennifer Vandervalk, who allowed but one goal in the Lady Eagles' three sectional tournament games, stopped 10 shots to earn the shutout.
The win gives top-seeded Morris Knolls a 15-3-3 season record while the loss saw No. 2 seed Montclair slip to 15-3-2.
Morris Knolls outshot Montclair, 12-11, but Montclair put more shots on goal, 10 to the Lady Eagles' six.
The victory also puts Morris Knolls into the Group 4 semifinals where the Lady Eagles will play North 1, Group 4 winner Westfield, which remained unbeaten at 20-0-2 with a 2-1 victory over Ridge in their sectional title match on Thursday.
The game has been scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, at Watchung Hills High School.
The Morris Knolls-Westfield winner goes on to face the winner of the Central Group 4 champ Jackson vs. South Group 4 champ Lenape match for the Group 4 title on Saturday, Nov. 21, at The College of New Jersey at a time to be determined.
NOTES: Knolls outshot Montclair, 12-11, during the game but Montclair put more shots on goal, 10 to the Lady Eagles' 6 ... Knolls' defender Katie McAllan sparked a solid defensive effort for Knolls in front of keeper Vandervalk ... the Lady Eagles, who drew a preliminary-round bye, have now outscored their three sectional tournament opponents, 7 goals to 2, with one two shutouts ... Knolls opened the tournament with a 1-0 victory over No. 8 Randolph and then stopped No. 5 Ridgewood, 5-1, to reach the title game, giving Knolls a 7-2 edge in goals during the tournament.
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Ingling scores 2 goals as Lady Eagles winsectional semifinal
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DENVILLE - Breanna Ingling scored two goals and Megan Halsch scored one goal and added two assists to lead top-seeded Morris Knolls to a 5-1 victory over No. 5 seed Ridgewood in an NJSIAA North 1, Group 4 girls soccer tournament semifinal played at Knolls on Monday, Nov. 9.
The victory puts the Lady Eagles into the sectional championship game against No. 2 seed Montclair, which overpowered No. 3 seed Kearny, 7-1, in Montclair on Monday.
The title game is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 12, at Morris Knolls at a time that has yet to be determined.
Kelly Schoneveld and Christina Vittorio each scored a goal as the Lady Eagles jumped out to a 4-0 halftime lead and were never headed. Erica Evans and Christie McCormick each had assists for Knolls.
Morris Knolls keeper Jennifer Vandervalk turned away 15 of the 16 shots she faced while Ridgewood goalie Michelle Savuto finished with 13 saves.
The Lady Eagles will take a 14-3-2 record into the sectional title game. Ridgewood fell to 17-4-1 with the loss.
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Lady Eagles reach semifinals on shootout
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DENVILLE - Morris Knolls High School girls soccer coach Sephan Zdanowicz has this thing about 2-0 halftime leads ... she considers them the worst halftime lead you can have in soccer.
"It tends to make team with the lead over-confident," Zdanowicz explains. "And that's why I consider them to be so dangerous ... I talk to the players about this all the time."
Rewind to Thursday, Nov. 5, and the Lady Eagles North 1, Group 4 quarterfinal game against Randolph at Knolls, a game in which the top-seeded Lady Eagles jumped out to a 2-0 halftime lead only to have the No. 9 seeded Lady Rams score two second-half goals to send the game into overtime.
Two ten-minute overtime periods failed to produce a winner and the game went into the five-person, penalty-kick shootout phase which Morris Knolls won, 4-2, to give the Lady Eagles a 3-2 victory.
Morris Knolls (13-3-2) will now face No. 5 Ridgewood, which beat No. 4 Robury, 2-1, in another shootout in their Thursday quarterfinal round game. The Knolls-Ridgewood game is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 9, at Knolls at 2 p.m.
The Knolls-Ridgewood winner will face the winner of the semifinal game between No. 2 Montclair and No. 3 Kearny on Thursday, Nov. 12, at the site of the better seeded team with the time yet to be determined.
Knolls took its 2-0 halftime lead against Ridgewood on goals by Megan Halsch and Jennier Perry with Katie McAllan and Diana Mikula getting the assists.
"We played fantastic soccer in the first half," Zdanowicz says. "Then halftime came and, needless to say we came out flat."
Randolph finally got on he field and they score their first goal in the first 40 seconds and then tied it up later.
"We woke up in the overtime, though, and had some fantastic defensive plays, especially one by Kelly Schoneveld where her diving header cleared away a ball from our goal line."
In the penalty-kick shootout phase, Halsch scored first, McAllan's shot was stopped by the Randolph keeper, and then Kristen DeRiggi, Jen Perry and Kelly Schoneveld scored.
Knolls keeper Jennifer Vandervalk stopped two of the first four Randolh penalty kicks and the game ended with the Lady Eagles the winner.
"Vandervalk made some incredible saves out there ... especially in the shootout," Zdanowicz says. "Kristen DeRiggi and Katie McAllan did a great job in the middle of the field and Perry sent several good balls in toward the net.
"Heather Casey, Kristen Snead and Christie McCormick were solid throughout the game and Halsch, Christina Virrorio and Emma Coccia worked hard on offense.
"Actually, everybody chipped in with something ... it was a solid team effort."
Lady Eagles draw top seed in states DENVILLE -- The Morris Knolls High School girls soccer team drew
the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the 2009 NJSIAA's North 1,
Group 4 sectional tournament that is scheduled to start on Monday, Nov.
2.
The Lady Eagles will meet the winner of the game between No. 8
Randolph and No. 9 Livingston on or before Thursday, Nov. 5, at Knolls
at a time to be announced.
There are 14 teams in the tournament field.
DENVILLE - Emma Coccia's second-half goal was the only score for
Morris Knolls as the Lady Eagles lost a 2-1 high school girls soccer
match to West Morris at Knolls on Thursday, Oct. 29.
Jennifer Perry assisted on Coccia's goal and Jennifer Vandervalk finished the game with five saves for the Lady Eagles.
The loss was only the second against 12 wins and a tie for Knolls; West Morris improved to 15-1-1 with the victory.
Halsch beats Sparta, 1-0
DENVILLE -- Megan Halsch scored the only goal of the game as the Morris Knolls High School girls soccer team bounced back from its shootout loss in the Morris County Girls Soccer Tournament with a 1-0 victory over Sparta at Sparta on Wednesday, Oct. 21.
Halsch's goal came off a second-half pass from Christie McCormick and enabled the Lady Eagles to improve their season record to 11-1. Sparta slipped to 6-7-1.
Jen Vandervalk made four saves to record the shutout.
Halsch's two goals beat Morris Hills, 2-0
DENVILLE - Megan Halsch scored both goals as the Morris Knolls High School girls
soccer team stopped sister-school Morris Hills, 2-0, in a game played
at Morris Hills on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
Both of Halsch's goals came in the first half with one unassisted and the other assisted by Jennifer Perry.
Knolls keeper Heather Rivardo made nine saves to earn the shutout as
Morris Hills outshot the Lady Eagles, 9-6. Morris Hills goalie Samantha
Carretero finished with four saves.
The win boosted once-beaten Morris Knolls' season record to 10-1; Morris Hills fell to 4-9.
Coccia goal nips Mo'town DENVILLE - Freshman Emma Coccia scored the only goal of the game and Jennifer Vandervalk stopped all seven shots she faced for the shutout as the Morris Knolls High School girls soccer team defeated Morristown, 1-0, in a double-overtme game played in gusty, swirling winds at Knolls on Wednesday, Oct. 7.
The victory came on the heels of the Lady Eagles' first loss of the season, a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Randolh last Friday night at Randolph.
Knolls (8-1) had two good scoring chances stopped by Morristown keeper Brenna Lade early in the game as she redirected a shot by the Lady Eagles Kelly Schoneveld off the crossbar when the game was two minutes old and then knocked a shot by Coccia over the bar just three minutes later.
Coccia made good on her attempt in the second overtime, however, as she outraced a Morristown defender to the ball after Kristen DeRiggi had intercepted a clear and sent it back toward the Morristown net.
Coccia got to the ball first and was able to send a 12-footer under the crossbar for her seventh goal of the season.
Morristown put two shots on net in the overtime sessions but Vandervalk was there for each one of them.
Lady Eagles lose first of season
DENVILLE - In a high school girls soccer game that was played at Randolph Friday (Oct. 2) night, Morris Knolls lost its first game of the season when Randolph sophomore Paige Lazar's first-half unassisted goal was the only score of the game as the Lady Rams beat Knolls, 1-0.
The loss was the first in eight matches for the Lady Eagles while Randolph improved to 4-0-1.
Lady Eagles win 7th in a row, 2-1
DENVILLE - The Morris Knolls High School girls soccer team got what it wanted on the afternoon of Wednesday, Sept. 30, when the Lady Eagles beat Mendham, 2-1, at Knolls.
The victory enabled Knolls to take an unbeaten (7-0) record into the Morris County Girls Tournament seeding meeting that evening at Parsippany, where the Lady Eagles were voted the No. 2 seed behind top seed West Morris (6-0-1).
Morris Catholic (5-0-1) the only other unbeaten team in the count tournament, was seeded No. 3 in the 24-team field. Mendham (4-2) was seeded No. 8.
Diana Mikula and Kelly Schoneveld each scored first-half goals and keeper Heather Rivardo made them stand up, stopping all but one of the five shots she faced.
Megan Halsch had an assist for the Lady Eagles, who outshot Mendham, 16-5.
For a complete seeding list and a schedule of the preliminary-round games that are scheduled to start Sunday, Oct. 4, please visit the "MCT Seeds, Skeds" page on this site.
MK tops Pope John for fifth shutout
DENVILLE - The Morris Knolls High School girls soccer team remained unbeaten in six outings this fall with a 2-0 victory over Pope John at Pope John on Saturday, Sept. 26.
The shutout was the fifth of the season for the Lady Eagles, who have outscored their opposition, 21-1, in six games this fall.
Christina Vittorio and Jennifer Perry scored the goals for Knolls with Megan Halsch picking up the assist on each score.
Jen Vandervalk was called upon to make three saves for the shutout as her teammates put 17 shot on the Pope John goal.
The loss left Pope John with a 2-4 record.
MK wins on Coccia goal
DENVILLE - Freshman Emma Coccia scored the only goal of the game as unbeaten Morris Knolls edged Sparta, 1-0, in a high school girls soccer game played at Knolls on Tuesday, Sept. 22.
Coccia scored from about 15 yards out in the 18th minute of the game after taking a pass from Megan Halsch to give the Lady Eagles their fifth victory in as many outings this fall.
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DENVILLE - Emma Coccia scored three goals and Shannon Hardie added one as Morris Knolls remained unbeaten by beating Bayonne, 4-0, in a high school girls soccer game at Knolls on Thursday, Sept. 16.
Megan Halsch, Krystina Hay, Katie McAllan and Diana Mikula each finished with one assist for the Lady Eagles, who improved to 4-0 by outshooting Bayonne, 15-4.
The Lady Eagles have scored 22 goals in their four games.
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MK wins on Vittorio's goal
DENVILLE - Christina Vittorio scored the only goal of the game as Morris Knolls won its third game in as many outings this season by edging Vernon, 1-0, in a high school girls soccer game at Knolls on Wednesday, Sept. 15.
Vittorio took a pass from Megan Halsch in the first half and was able to beat Vernon keeper Kelly Murphy for the Lady Eagles' 18th goal in their three games.
Knolls keeper Jen Vandervalk got the shutout by stopping all seven shots she faced.
Vernon is 1-2 with the loss.
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Hardie, Coccia goals
spark Lady Eagles
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DENVILLE - Shannon Hardie scored two goals and had an assist and Emma Coccia also scored a pair of goals as Morris Knolls defeated Parsippany Hills, 8-1, in a high school girls soccer game played Monday, Sept. 12, at Parsippany.
The Lady Eagles scored three times in the first half before going on a five-goal outburst in the second half to put the game out of reach.
Megan Halsch added a goal and two assists; Christina Vittorio had a goal and an assist; and Erica Evans and Katie McAllan each finished with a goal.
Kristen Randolph, Kelsey Wade and Kelly Schoneveld also had assists for Knolls, which improved to 2-0 and has now outscored its oppostion 13-1.
Jen Vandervalk and Heather Rivardo split the keeper duties with Vandervalk finishing with four saves and Rivardo stopping two shots.
Morris Knolls put 17 shots on two Parsippany Hills (0-2) goalies.
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Halsch scores twice
as MK wins opener
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DENVILLE - Megan Halsch scored two goals and keeper Jen Vandervalk registered a shutout as the Morris Knolls High School girls soccer team defeated Lakeland, 5-0, in the season-opening game for both teams at Knolls Friday, Sept. 11.
Kristen DeRiggi, Shannon Hardie and Rebecca Walsh also scored for the Lady Eagles while Jennifer Perry and Kelly Schoneveld each had assists.
Vandervalk made 10 saves to earn the shutout. Her teammates put 14 shots on the Lakeland nets.
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Vice President: W. David Richards
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