Sports
Girls Soccer Defeats Rahway 1-0 in State Game
The Lady Cougars will challenge Millburn in the sectional semifinals on Monday.
Cranford High School girls soccer coach Jen Michewicz had a good idea of what her team would be up against in a North 2 Group III quarterfinal Thursday afternoon.
No. 9 seed Rahway coach Mario Kawczynski packed nine of his players in the back and challenged the Union County Tournament champions and No. 1 seeded Cougars to find a way to score at Memorial Field.
The goal did come about halfway through the second half on a pretty cross from Jamie Webb to Natalie Englese, who beat sophomore keeper Katrina Plowman. The Cougars will now play host to No. 4 seed Millburn in the sectional semifinals Monday.
Cranford improved to 16-2-2, while Rahway dropped to 9-10-1.
“Rahway came with a very good game plan today,’’ said Michewicz. “They frustrated us a little bit. And I think that when a team puts that much defensive pressure on it challenges the other team to really step it up and make sure passes are perfect, shots are prefect."
It was the defensive pressure that kept Rahway in the game, but Cranford dominated, pressing the attack.
The Cougars also beat Rahway 1-0 during the regular season.
“We realized at halftime that the kids were being frustrated out there, but as a top team even when you are frustrated you need to rise to the occasion, it took a little bit of time in the second half, but they did it.’’
Englese said that the key was to get the ball to the wings and cross it back.
“It was hard in the middle (of the field), especially for the center midfielder and forwards, it was really compact, but once we brought it out wide Jamie really gave me a really good cross and I tapped it in,’’ Englese said.
“We needed a goal, so I just like worked it to the corner,’’ Webb said. “We kept trying to put it in the middle, but then we went to the outside. Coach told us to cut it in. Instead of playing small ball in the middle she wanted us to cross it and it worked.’’
Cranford keeper Lauren Grandal didn’t have much to do with the exception of clearances from the box.
The goal did come about halfway through the second half on a pretty cross from Jamie Webb to Natalie Englese, who beat sophomore keeper Katrina Plowman. The Cougars will now play host to No. 4 seed Millburn in the sectional semifinals Monday.
Cranford improved to 16-2-2, while Rahway dropped to 9-10-1.
“Rahway came with a very good game plan today,’’ said Michewicz. “They frustrated us a little bit. And I think that when a team puts that much defensive pressure on it challenges the other team to really step it up and make sure passes are perfect, shots are prefect."
It was the defensive pressure that kept Rahway in the game, but Cranford dominated, pressing the attack.
The Cougars also beat Rahway 1-0 during the regular season.
“We realized at halftime that the kids were being frustrated out there, but as a top team even when you are frustrated you need to rise to the occasion, it took a little bit of time in the second half, but they did it.’’
Englese said that the key was to get the ball to the wings and cross it back.
“It was hard in the middle (of the field), especially for the center midfielder and forwards, it was really compact, but once we brought it out wide Jamie really gave me a really good cross and I tapped it in,’’ Englese said.
“We needed a goal, so I just like worked it to the corner,’’ Webb said. “We kept trying to put it in the middle, but then we went to the outside. Coach told us to cut it in. Instead of playing small ball in the middle she wanted us to cross it and it worked.’’
Cranford keeper Lauren Grandal didn’t have much to do with the exception of clearances from the box.
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