When the Scotch Plains boys’ soccer team took a two-goal lead on Rahway early in the second half of Friday afternoon’s North 2, Group 3 quarterfinal, the Raiders were not about to let the lead slip away.
After falling in the Union County Tournament semifinals last Saturday, Scotch Plains is re-focused on attempting to capture a sectional championship.
The host Raiders took one step closer to that goal by blanking Rahway 3-0 at Shimme A. Wexler Field.
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“We’re definitely poised and ready to go for it,” Scotch Plains senior defenseman Joe D’Annunzio said.
Second-seeded Scotch Plains – which improved to 18-2-2 - will next host third-seeded New Brunswick Tuesday at 2 p.m. in a semifinal. Rahway, the 10th seed, saw its season conclude at 11-9.
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Tuesday’s other 2 p.m. semifinal pits fourth-seeded and defending champion Millburn at top-seeded Cranford.
The final is scheduled for next Friday at 2 p.m. at the higher seed.
On Nov. 13, 2008, Cranford fell at Millburn 3-0 in last year’s championship game.
Scotch Plains and Cranford battled to a 1-1 tie in Scotch Plains on Oct. 29.
The Raiders also blanked Rahway 3-0 in Rahway in regular season play back on Oct. 12.
In Friday’s win, senior Zak Flanzmann scored on a header in the first half, while freshmen Vincenzo Bianco and Colin Stripling netted goals in the second.
Senior goalie Anthony Zukofsky and Bianco combined for the shutout.
“We had some injury problems and other players out, but Tuesday we’ll have a full squad back and we’ll go back at it,” D’Annunzio said.
Scotch Plains totally dominated field possession in the second half and subbed many players as a result after taking its 3-0 lead.
“Today we came back and held a 2-0 lead, put a third one in and won the game,” D’Annunzio said.
“We got our first goal quick with the wind against us and I figured with the wind with us in the second half we would get a few more opportunities,” Scotch Plains head coach Tom Breznitsky said. “This is the time of the year if you don’t come out with effort now you’re sitting at home.
“I think our guys have a lot to prove and they’re very disappointed we got knocked out of the counties. We talked about that and said that if we win a state championship, the counties would be well forgotten.”
The top four seeds advanced to the semifinals – which does not happen often – and all four won their quarterfinal games by shutout – which also does not happen every year.
There are two teams from Union County (Scotch Plains and Cranford), one from Essex County (Millburn) and one from Middlesex County (New Brunswick) still alive. Cranford was in Central Jersey, Group 2 last year and lost in the quarterfinals, while New Brunswick did not make the states last year.
“This is a nice time of the year for us,” Breznitsky said. “We, technically, played this game without four starters. We had one kid suspended, another kid on a red card and two other starters that were hurt.”
Breznitsky was not sure about senior Matt Greaney playing Tuesday because he had a concussion.
“The suspended kid is still no (for Tuesday), but Chris Freeman, who received the red card in the (county) semifinals, served his two games this week
“This particular time of the year you have your Tuesday-Friday, which is a pretty good schedule and allows you some time to get some rest in between and is not quite as hard as the rigors of the regular season type of thing when you’re playing three games in a week sometimes.”
Scotch Plains is hoping that is has games scheduled for the next two Tuesdays and next two Fridays. That would mean the Raiders will have won North 2, Group 3 and then advanced all the way to the Group 3 state championship match.
If Scotch Plains and Westfield do not play the regular season game scheduled to be played at Scotch Plains, then the teams will be co-champs of the Watchung Division of the new Union County Conference.
Westfield defeated Scotch Plains 2-1 at home on Sept. 23.
“Westfield did not want to play the game prior to today (Westfield lost in the states Friday),” Breznitsky said. “We’re willing to concede a co-championship in the conference. I didn’t want to do that and my kids didn’t want to do that, they would rather play the game. The way it stands, Westfield beat us in the regular season and they didn’t lose to anyone else, but they had a tie with Union.”
Westfield and Union battled to a 3-3 tie in Westfield on Oct. 7.
“So, if we were to play that game and beat them (Westfield), then they would now have a loss and a tie and we would only have a loss, so we would be conference champions," Breznitksy said. "Whether they change their mind as a result of getting knocked out of the states, I don’t know.”
Westfield, the third seed, lost at home to sixth-seeded Dickinson 2-1 Friday in a North 2, Group 4 quarterfinal. The game was decided in a penalty kick shootout that the visiting Hudson County team won by the score of 5-4.
Second-seeded Westfield takes on top-seeded Cranford in Saturday’s Union County Tournament championship game at Johnson High School’s Nolan Field in Clark. Westfield is in the final for the first time in 13 years and also seeking its first county title since 1996. Cranford has never won the UCT and is in the final for the first time since 2002.
“We would like to try and play the game,” Breznitsky said. “We like to play all of our games and we enjoy playing games against Westfield. A lot of people don’t think so, but we enjoying playing them.”
NORTH 2, GROUP 3 QUARTERFINAL AT SCOTCH PLAINS
10-RAHWAY (11-9) 0 0 - 0
2-SCOTCH PLAINS (18-2-2) 1 2 - 3
FIRST HALF:
SCOTCH PLAINS – Goal: Zak Flanzmann. Assist: Mike DelSordi.
Time: 35:11. Scotch Plains leads 1-0.
SECOND HALF:
SCOTCH PLAINS – Goal: Vincenzo Bianco. Assist: Mike DelSordi.
Time: 36:17. Scotch Plains leads 2-0.
SCOTCH PLAINS – Goal: Colin Stripling. Assist: Mike DelSordi.
Time: 29:18. Scotch Plains leads 3-0.
SHOTS: Rahway 2, Scotch Plains 25.
SAVES: Rahway, Kevin Hoffman, 7.
Scotch Plains, Anthony Zukofsky and Vincenzo Bianco combined
for the shutout, with Zukofsky making two saves.
NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 3
SEEDS: 1-Cranford. 2-Scotch Plains. 3-New Brunswick. 4-Millburn.
5-South Plainfield. 6-West Morris. 7-Irvington. 8-Somerville.
9-Nutley. 10-Rahway. 11-Mendham. 12-Newark West Side.
13-Belleville. 14-Colonia. 15-Morristown. 16-Carteret.
FIRST ROUND:
Tuesday, Nov. 4
Cranford 6, Carteret 0
Somerville 5, Nutley 2
South Plainfield 7, Newark West Side 1
Millburn 2, Belleville 0
New Brunswick 3, Colonia 0
West Morris 3, Mendham 1
Rahway 3, Irvington 2 (2 OT)
Scotch Plains 3, Morristown 0
QUARTERFINALS:
Thursday, Nov. 5
Cranford 1, Somerville 0
Friday, Nov. 6
Millburn 1, South Plainfield 0
New Brunswick 1, West Morris 0
Scotch Plains 3, Rahway 0
SEMIFINALS:
Tuesday, Nov. 10
3-New Brunswick at 2-Scotch Plains, 2 p.m.
4-Millburn at 1-Cranford, 2 p.m.
FINAL:
Friday, Nov. 13
Semifinals winners at higher seed, 2 p.m.
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Millburn
2009 SCOTCH PLAINS-FANWOOD RAIDERS
GK-Anthony Zukofsky, senior
2-Steven Bello, senior
3-Jason Pearl, senior
4-Matt Greaney, senior
5-Michael Henkels, senior
6-Mike DelSordi, senior
7-Brendan McEvoy, senior
8-Brian Kahn, senior
9-Chris Freeman, senior
11-Joe D’Annunzio, senior
12-Travis Cortez, senior
13-Rory Szeto, junior
14-Michael Daly, sophomore
16-Blake DeJohn, junior
17-Vincenzo Bianco, freshman
18-Justin Brownstein, senior
19-Daniel McMillan, sophomore
20-Zak Flanzmann, senior
21-Colin Stripling, freshman
22-Nigel Fung-A-Fat, senior
23-Jose Tubon, sophomore
24-Greg Stein, senior
Head coach: Tom Breznitsky
Assistant coach: Joe Mortarullo
