Northern Highlands has had plenty to celebrate this year.
After three months of intense competition to get to this point, the girls state soccer tournament  is rapidly approaching its climax. The semifinals (my favorite round of any tournament) are today and the finals are Thursday. North Jersey is already guaranteed to have two sectional champions because all four teams in the section are from our area. But I think there will be two more and possibly. Who’s going to step up and lead their team to greatness? Let’s take a look at the brackets and break it down.
Below is the schedule with what to watch for in each game. Should be an exciting afternoon of soccer and I can’t wait to see who comes out on top.
Girls Soccer State Tournament
Waldwick forward Brianna Gallagher, left, is one of the Warriors top scoring threats.
North 1, Group 1
(4) Waldwick at (1) New Milford, 4
(3) Park Ridge at (2) Hasbrouck Heights, 2
Breakdown: Two very evenly matched games. Waldwick-New Milford is a rematch of last year’s final won by Waldwick 2-1. New Milford will have plenty of motivation to earn revenge and its secret weapon: A bumpy grass field it’s used to playing on. Waldwick’s defense will likely be the key to this game because the Knights have a pair of gifted strikers (Cyndey Borner, Alexis Monroy) who can score at any time and their production could be the difference. Waldwick has been getting better throughout the year and is playing its best soccer at the right time. They need their midfield to set the tone for the offense to work at its best passing in tight spaces and moving without the ball.
Park Ridge-Hasbrouck Heights will also have plenty of offensive firepower on display. The owls feature Mikaela Heyboer and Shayna Bohus up top while the Aviators are led by Maggie Filja. Park Ridge’s defense gave up a lot of goals in the middle of the season but hasn’t allowed one in its last five games. The Aviators’ D has been more  consistent, though it did give up four to Lyndhurst in one of its two losses.  I think who ever plays better defense in this one will have a decisive edge.
Pascack Hills’ Brianna Musco, left, and Ramsey’s Nicole Moor are two of their teams top offensive playmakers.
North 1, Group 2
(4) Kinnelon at (1) Pascack Hills, 2
(3) Ramsey at (2) Newton, 2
Breakdown: Kinnelon needed PK’s to finally get past Glen Rock and earn another spot in the semifinal. It plays a Cowgirls side that hasn’t been this far in the state tournament in a while. Experience could play a role in who comes out on top with an edge to Kinnelon in that dept. But the Cowgirls are a senior-led team with plenty of motivation to win now. Brianna Musco scored her 100th career goal in the quarterfinals and leads the Cowgirls offense along with Devon Willock. Kinnelon is led by the DiClemente sisters (Ida, Ingrid). Whoever scores first will have a big edge because it could make the other team start pressing. If that happens, counters will be there for the taking.
Newton has one of the top offenses in this section and slowing it down will be the biggest key to a Ramsey victory. It hasn’t fared well in high-scoring games this year and I think holding Newton to one goal max is the best way for it to win. The Rams haven’t been able to put as many into the net over the last few games but could be primed for a breakout. And don’t forget, Ramsey made it to the sectional final last year and were state champs the year before that, so they know how to get it done at this stage of the season.
North 1, Group 3
(4) River Dell at (1) Wayne Hills, 2
Wayne Hills, here celebrating the Passaic County tournament win over Clifton, has its best chance of making the sectional final in a long time.
(6) Mahwah at (2) Northern Highlands, noon
Breakdown: The Highlanders already knocked off the T-Bird in the county qtrs so this isn’t a new matchup for them. Both teams know what the other is good at and how they want to attack them. for Highlands that means with set plays and outside pressure with their midfielders sending passes up top to their forwards. For Mahwah that means a more direct approach up the middle of the field where their top playmakers are located. Mahwah scored the upset of the tournament when it beat Ramapo, 2-1 in the qtrs. They should be brimming with confidence as they try to snap the Highlanders state-record unbeaten streak. But the Highlanders haven’t lost in three years for a reason and now that they’re undefeated streak is over they’ll want to keep their state streak of winning the last two group 3 titles alive.
Wayne Hills has proven to be a formidable team since losing it’s opener, suffering only one more loss on the year, a 1-0 loss to Ridge, a very talented Group 4 team. But now it faces its toughest test of the state tournament against a team that has been playing excellent soccer for the last month and a half. River Dell is young but doesn’t play that way anymore. They have the talent to upset the Patriots if they can stick to their brand of soccer. For the Patriots, it’s their best opportunity to get to the sectional finals after years of running into Ramapo or Northern Highlands in this round and suffering a lopsided defeat. These teams are very close as far as talent and I don’t see a lopsided result in this one. I think it will be highly-competitive game where defense will be the biggest key.
Clifton has had problems scoring lately and will need to make some adjustments to beat Livingston.
North 1, Group 4
(3) Livingston at (2) Clifton, 2
Livingston squeaked by Ridgewood in the quarters and is favored by many to do the same against Clifton. The Mustangs also needed PK’s to advance, though they didn’t score in regulation. that’s why Livingston is favored, because Clifton has issues scoring. I think the only way the Mustangs can make it to the finals, where Montclair likely awaits, is to score some goals in regulation. I don’t think they can keep relying on goalie Rachel Egyed to post shutouts, especially against teams with as much talent as they’ll see the rest of the season. Egyed is good but the pressure shouldn’t be all on her. Clifton has the talent to put two in the back of the net against Livingston. If it does it should win. If it can’t score, winning will be on Egyed’s shoulders again.
North Non-Public A
(4) DePaul at (1) Immaculate Heart, 2
Cami Didio, left, leads IHA’s explosive offense.
(3) Paramus Catholic at (2) Pope John, 2
Breakdown: I think the Paladins can pull the upset. They have been an up and down team all year but seem to be trending in the right direction recently. When they lost to Northern Highlands, 2-0, but were in the game, I think that taught them something about themselves and their ability to challenge the better teams in the state. Pope John fits that bill. Its a well organized side that doesn’t give up many goals and can put a few away quickly if you’re not ready. Paramus Catholic should be, though, and I think they can tuck a few into the net themselves. But with them defense is always the most important indicator of success. Hold Pope John to 1 or less and they should move on.
IHA continues to prove it is one of the most dominant two-way teams in the state and I think they’re defense is too good to give one up against the Spartans. They are just too well organized in back led by one of the better keepers in the area (Taylor Lupi). So how can the Spartans pull the upset like they did against Clifton earlier this year? By playing equally great defense, holding possession as long as they can and getting their forwards out front running under a perfectly struck pass. As for IHA, it will likely get the better of possession simply because that’s what they’ve done all year and that’s how they have beat so many good opponents. They build up their offense with short passes and then exploit openings in the defense with great off-ball movement.
North Non-Public B
(3) Eastern Christian at (2) Morris Catholic, 2
Eastern Christian is back in the semifinals led by their explosive offense. But this is the round where they usually have problems scoring, at least the last couple of years. Morris Catholic has a solid defense that won’t be easy to get through. but as is the case in most semifinals games, defense will be paramount to winning. if Eastern Christian can hold off Morris Catholic’s strong offense, I think they can win this one. Of course they’ll need to score too. But I think that’s very doable for them. If they can hold Morris Catholic off the board winning will be too.