Ridge Girls' Soccer Finishes Ranked No. 60 In Country

Basking Ridge, N.J. -- Ridge High School was presented with the Army National Guard national ranking trophy during a school assembly on Wednesday morning. The honor is part of the 11th annual MaxPreps Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard, which is in its fifth year recognizing soccer. Ridge is one of just ten girls’ soccer programs being honored.

The Red Devils finished ranked No. 60 in the country by MaxPreps, the online high school sports leader and a CBSSports.com site. MaxPreps ranks more than 9,000 high school girls’ soccer teams.

“For more than a decade, MaxPreps, in partnership with the Army National Guard, has honored the top high school sports teams in the nation. Ridge High School is one of a very select and elite group of soccer teams to be honored this season,” said Andy Beal, President and Founder of MaxPreps. “We congratulate the coach, players and the Ridge High School community for earning the Army National Guard national ranking trophy.”

Ridge High School finished in a scoreless draw with Freehold to share the Group IV state title. This is the team’s first state title since 2003. The Red Devils finished the 2015 season with a record of 23-0-1.

“This honor is a byproduct of how we wanted to play this year- as a cohesive unit,” said Ridge head coach Katie Donahue. “To win an award like this is amazing, because every player on the team is part of this.” Coach Donahue was named the NJGSCA Section 2 Coach of the Year.

The Ridge girls’ soccer team has given strong performances the past few seasons making it to the sectional finals (2014), sectional semifinals (2013), and state finals (2011-12). This year, Ridge had the perfect combination of experience, dedication, and versatility that enabled the team to finish the season as undefeated co-champions. Coach Donahue credited the veteran players’ leadership as well as the depth of their roster as critical to the Red Devils’ success.

According to Coach Donahue, three specific games- a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Watchung Hills, an overtime triumph to Hillsborough, and double overtime win in the state semifinals to Montclair- highlighted the Red Devils’ season and helped the team build momentum throughout. En route to the state title, Ridge bested the Skyland Conference Delaware Division, Somerset County Tournament, and the North 2 Group IV.

The Red Devils were led by seniors Samantha Carney, Erin Convery, Brielle Farrell, Shannon Keefe, Chrissy Weyrauch, and junior Julia Lindsey. Keefe, Lindsey, and Weyrauch all contributed 15 goals each followed by Convery who added 10 goals. Goalie Carney boasted 19 shutouts this year. Several seniors will continue their soccer careers into college: Carney (The College of New Jersey), Convery (Boston College), Farrell (Gettysburg), Keefe (Boston University), and Weyrauch (Holy Cross College).

Ridge received many accolades on the season as well. Carney, Convery, Keefe, and Weyrauch were named First Team All-Delaware Division of the Skyland Conference. Lindsey and Ally Friedman were Second Team All-Delaware Division, and Farrell was Skyland Conference Honorable Mention. Convery and Weyrauch were also named to the NSCAA All-East Region Team. Convery, Lindsey, Keefe, and Weyrauch received New Jersey Girls Soccer Coaches’ Association First Team honors.

Staff Sergeant Anthony Larobina of the New Jersey Army National Guard presented Coach Donahue and the Red Devils with the Army National Guard national ranking trophy during a school assembly on Wednesday morning.

“Courage, commitment and unity are just a few qualities that superior athletes, along with the men and women of the Army National Guard, have in common,” said Sergeant First Class Michael Semeja of the Army National Guard. “On behalf of the National Guard, I am privileged to recognize this nationally ranked championship team for their dedication, leadership and teamwork.”

MaxPreps uses an intricate computer program to determine team rank. Prior season history, school size, and comments on message boards are not considered in the MaxPreps rankings. The computer-based system utilizes the huge number of game results stored in the MaxPreps database. Generally, the more a team wins the higher the ranking, but the system also takes into account quality wins (against other highly ranked opponents) and strength of schedule. For example, a team’s ranking is hurt more by losing to a team that is ranked below them than to a team ranked ahead. Girls’ soccer rankings are updated once a week.

---Precision Sports