The River Dell Golden Hawks (12-6) defeated the Newton Braves (2-16-1) 2-1 in overtime in the first round of the North Section 1, Group 2 girls soccer tournament on Wednesday at River Dell High School in Oradell, New Jersey.
River Dell did not waste time tallying the game-winning goal as Brianna Azevedo scored 26 seconds into the extra session.
The Golden Hawks were aggressive from the get-go as Azevedo drove hard to the net, blasting a shot that was turned aside by a kick save by the Braves goalkeeper.
However, River Dell kept up the pressure as Isabella Bagnato belted a kick blocked by a Newton defender. Still, Hannah Esler found the loose ball and slid a perfect pass to Azevedo, who quickly dribbled the ball from close range and ripped a shot into the back of the net, setting off a jubilant celebration.
On the victory, Golden Hawks Head Coach Adam Herman said, "We felt that pressure for 80 plus minutes, and what a great feeling and left it all out there. It's great when you have teammates whether girls were subbing in or not, and it shows so much about their character. I have one through 25 that are fantastic teammates; as a coach, that's all you can ask for."
"I explained to the girls that it takes a team effort; we have a couple of fantastic players that play at a high level, club and are multi-sport athletes. Hannah (Esler) is going to the right place in overtime. Brianna (Azevedo) doesn't get a second and third opportunity. It shows we're as good as our team, and our following link could be."
"Brianna (Azevedo) has a fantastic soccer IQ, high level, and smart. This is her second year as a great teammate. If you watch a lot of our games, she's not selfish by any means, and sometimes a scorer needs to be selfish, and she tries to set up her teammates and has an assist on the first goal and a couple of other great opportunities."
Scoreless at the end of the first half, Newton broke the stalemate with less than six minutes remaining in the second half. On a free kick from 33 yards out, Hannah Hamilton booted a high arching shot that caught a fortunate bounce that skipped over the head of River Dell goalkeeper Kasey Ziegler into the back of the net.
"You can control the whole game but one wrong bounce and skip and drop of the sun you're losing," Herman explained. "The girls took that opportunity ad said we're going to tie and then win this game."
The Golden Hawks' offense kept the intensity on the Braves' field side. Not even two minutes after Newton took the lead, Azevedo dribbled the ball rapidly past three Braves defenders and then flicked a pass to Emma Concannon. The latter buried a shot past the goalkeeper into the net.
"Emma (Concannon) has done a fantastic job all year, and now she has a little bit of added pressure because her teammate Lizzy (Puentes), who's been side by side with her for four years, is out with a concussion. She knew that she could put up a little, but we didn't want too much, but in the flow of the game she could play with Brianna (Azevedo) and Bella (Isabella Bagnato) in the middle. She knew if I went here, Brianna would find me, and long and behold, Brianna found her."
What's Next For River Dell?
Next up for second seed River Dell is a match-up against 10th seed Jefferson (9-5-2) in the North Section 1, Group 2 Quarterfinals on Saturday, October 29, at River Dell High School with a noon start. The Falcons defeated West Milford 3-2 in the first round.
"We need to correct some things over the next two days," Herman noted. "Jefferson is a great team, well-coached, and been on a nice little run the past couple of years in the tournament. They have a good goalie and have been in many close games. We have to be more creative with what we're going to do offensively and put a complete game together."
Jersey Sporting News will have continued coverage of high school fall playoffs.
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