Lady Raiders roll in county opener

Team set for quarterfinals at Ridge

By: Rudy Brandl
   
   The Hillsborough High girls’ soccer team made proper use of a four-day break and returned to action in a big way.
   Injuries have been mounting for the Lady Raiders, who needed a few days off to heal physically and regroup mentally. Hillsborough still wasn’t at full strength but Saturday’s resounding 7-1 victory over Immaculata in the second round of the Somerset County Tournament shows this team may be ready to make another October surge to the title.
   "At some point in the season, there is a turning point," Hillsborough head coach LeeAnn Wyble said afterward. "We haven’t really been playing our best soccer, so maybe today is a turning point."
   Several HHS players stepped up their game, especially junior forward Heather Mutz, who led the assault with three goals. Senior midfielder Lauren Ebert and junior striker Mary Bednar each added two goals for the winners, who were missing starters Nikki Smartt, Dana Rokoszak and Lauren Cusick.
   Wyble wasn’t sure how her team would respond to this predicament in a tournament game so she asked the girls to make a list of three goals for the rest of the season. The prevailing theme on the lists emphasized picking up the slack for missing players. Saturday’s performance proves the girls took this to heart.
   Ebert, who was injured and missed the team’s 2-0 regular season win over Immaculata earlier in the week, was supposed to be away at a club tournament over the weekend. Heavy rains pushed back the WAGS tournament slate so Ebert was able to play for her high school team since HHS moved the county game to the stadium turf field.
   "We went into this game thinking that Nikki, Dana, Lauren (Cusick) and Ebert weren’t going to play," Mutz said. "Ebert surprised us by being here and that picked us up even more."
   Ebert made her presence felt right away in the opening minute. She made it 1-0 and the Lady Raiders were off and running in the rain.
   "We did really well today," Ebert said. "I don’t think the rain was much of a factor. We kept possession very well and we were excited to play."
   Five minutes later, Mutz was taken down in the penalty area and the official awarded a penalty kick. Mutz wanted to take the kick since she was fouled. Ebert and Bednar, who normally shoot penalty kicks, gave their teammate the nod and Mutz drilled it into the lower left corner for a 2-0 lead.
   "I wanted that penalty kick because they knocked me down," Mutz said. "Immaculata helped with my intensity because they were playing really tough. I was confident because I had that intensity buildup from the two girls knocking me down. I had to show them they weren’t going to mess with me."
   Mutz showed it two more times later in the game to complete her first varsity hat trick. Bednar also scored twice in the first half when Hillsborough built a 5-0 lead.
   "We clicked as a team more today and our passes just worked," Bednar said. "We were motivated to score fast and do it quickly. We played really well."
   Mutz and Ebert connected in the second half when Wyble emptied her bench. She even got three freshman players and two jayvees involved in the action.
   "Everyone got a chance to play," Wyble said. "We scored seven goals because we deserved to score seven goals. We played a nice game today. I think we just ended our slump."
   The fifth-ranked Lady Raiders (7-3-1) will battle fourth-seeded Ridge in Saturday’s quarterfinals. Wyble hopes to have her full starting lineup ready to post another upset on the road. HHS has defeated Ridge the last two times the schools have met in county play, including last year’s 1-0 semifinal stunner at Player Development Academy.
   "We always come out stronger in harder games like this," Ebert said. "We have to come out the same way we did the other times we beat them."
   Hillsborough expects to have Smartt back from injury in time to mark Ridge’s dangerous attackers. Ebert and Cusick will be back in the center midfield and Rokoszak, Bednar and Mutz give Wyble a nice rotation of forwards. Goalkeeper Taryn O’Connor, who made six saves in Saturday’s county game, has been impressive in her first varsity campaign.
   Ridge (9-3) may not be the juggernaut of recent years, but the team is balanced and well-coached. The Red Devils are also dying to avenge some past frustrations against Hillsborough, so this should be a great match.
   "Ridge always puts out a good team," Wyble said. "Even in an off-year, they still have their stars who know how to win. It’s a big game. We’re just getting everyone back, so it might be the perfect time for us."