Girls Soccer

October 7, 2009

Cougars keep division lead with tie

Brianna Miller McNair

Brianna Miller and the Cougars overcame a rough first half to get a tie.

Click Here for more photos from Holy Family at McNair.

By Jason Bernstein
Editorial Director

JERSEY CITY – There may not have been a winner, but it might have been the birth of a rivalry.

The matchup between the top two teams in Division B proved up to the hype as Holy Family and McNair dueled to a 2-2 tie last night at Lincoln Park.

“We’ve never had this kind of intensity (with the Cougars) before,” Holy Family head coach Mary Cerreta said. “We’ve never, ever had this kind of intensity with them before. Now it’s starting to grow and blossom into something.”

“Holy Family has always been in the upper echelon of soccer in the county,” McNair coach John Hughes said. “We always want to play with the best and compete with them. I believe this is a rivalry and I don’t think we’re too far away from reaching that level.”

One hundred minutes proved not to be enough to declare a winner, but both sides had opportunities to earn the victory. The Cougars (9-0-1) had shots from Jessica Melendez and Brooke Miller turned away by Holy Family’s JacqueLyn Johnson in the first overtime session.

An additional McNair shot in overtime struck the post. The Cougars came away from the period empty handed, but returned the favor in the second overtime. McNair goalie Brittany Miller made a pair of saves in that period to ensure the game would end in a tie.

Both goalies excelled as Brittany Miller made 14 saves and Johnson had nine in the draw.

“We knew that they were our equal and that we were going to have a battle and we came prepared to play,” Cerreta said. “They put in a solid 100 minutes. I was impressed with both sides tonight. It could have gone either way.”

Near misses and second chances were a common theme throughout the closely-contested match.

Trailing 2-1 in the 72nd minute, McNair’s Brooke Miller atoned for a penalty shot off the post by delivering a direct kick from outside the box to tie up the score.

“In the last 20 minutes of the game and overtime they found their jump and a sense of urgency,” Hughes said. “For a long stretch it looked like it would be a 2-1 Holy Family win.”

The Falcons might have been down early due to a Melendez goal in the fourth minute, but controlled the tempo in the opening half, applying constant pressure on Brittany Miller in her first start since suffering an injury during the first meeting of these two teams on September 18.

Looking to avenge a loss in their earlier matchup, the Falcons broke through in the 29th minute when Samantha Pagano took a Jessie Curtis rebound and buried it into the net. Fourteen minutes later, on a loose ball in front of the net, Samantha Sysak gave Holy Family the lead.

With the tie, McNair maintains their lead over Holy Family in the division.  

Gabrielle Dundas Holy Family

Senior captain Gabrielle Dundas played a key role in the Holy Family defense.

 
1st
2nd
OT
Total
Holy Family (7-1-1)
1
1
0
2
McNair (9-0-1)
1
1
0
2
 
McN: Jessica Melendez (Georgia Hilmer) 4th minute
HFA: Samantha Pagano (Jessie Curtis) 29th minute
HFA: Samantha Sysak (unassisted) 43rd minute
McN: Georgia Hilmer (Brooke Miller) 73rd minute
 

Goalies: HFA: JacqueLyn Johnson (9 saves); McN: Brittany Miller (14 saves).