Sports
Raiders Rally to Tie in Game Against Cranford
The two teams could face each other in the county and North 2 Group III final.
It was a game that the players on the boys soccer team at Cranford High pointed to for a long time. Their final regular season game had a circle around it since Scotch Plains-Fanwood was the opponent.
The Cougars came into Thursday night’s game at Memorial Field with an 18-0-1 record, and a No. 6 ranking in the state by at least one state-wide poll. Scotch Plains-Fanwood, 16-1-1, was ranked No. 9.
In the end, the two powerhouses played to a 1-1, double-overtime draw before a spirited crowd.
Scotch Plains-Fanwood, which will play Westfield Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. in the Union County Tournament semifinal at A.L. Johnson in Clark, got a goal from senior Matt Greaney off a header in the second half to tie the game at 1.
The Raiders’ defense led by senior Joey D’Annunzio and senior Chris Freeman kept the Cougars off the scoreboard after Nick Pace scored early in the first half. Scotch Plains-Fanwood coach Tom Breznitsky was happy with both of them.
“I think those two are the combination of the best center backs in the state," Breznitsky said. “We have given up nine goals all season long and those two guys are a primary reason why."
Scotch Plains-Fanwood finally broke through with 6-foot-3, 180-pound Greaney’s shot.
“(Senior Steven) Bello saw me streaking through and I put it to my head and that was it," Greaney said.
The Raiders had a 22-10 edge in shots—21-5 before overtime. The Raiders carried the offense attack for most of the night. Senior keeper Anthony Zukofsky was reliable when he had to be.
“We couldn’t find the net, we had one mistake in the back, but we made up for it, so we’re happy with the tie," Greaney said.
The Raiders could meet Cranford two more times—in the county final and possibly in the North 2 Group III final. Cranford is the No. 1 seed in the North 2 III field, while Scotch Plains-Fanwood is No. 2.
“That’s what we’re hoping for," Greaney said. “We’re looking forward to it. It was a great game today, so it would be really fun to play them again."
Breznitsky was also pleased with his team’s spirit and intensity.
“They wanted to prove something, the fact that these guys were undefeated and our kids wanted to prove we’re the best team in the county," Breznitsky said.
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