Fair Lawn Girls Soccer Team Falls to Dumont in the Rain

The goal that the Fair Lawn High School girls soccer team sensed would come and sought for 80 rain-soaked minutes never arrived on Monday night.

The Cutters battled not only a scrappy Dumont (4-5) team, but also fought the wintry rains, as their bid for a third consecutive win fell short with a 1-0 defeat.

Ranging from a light mist to a steady downpour, the rain certainly hampered and hindered the offensive game plan of Fair Lawn (2-6), which was coming off a three-goal output in a win over Bayonne on Saturday.

"(The conditions) definitely slowed our game down, we couldn't do what we usually do, couldn't execute the way we normally do," Fair Lawn coach John Van Soest said. "It just became a kick-and-run mess out here."

While both teams had to cope with the elements, Fair Lawn's task of playing catch-up after Dumont capitalized on a late first-half goal was made that much more difficult by the rainy weather. The sloppy conditions seemed to aid the visitors, who relied on a more conservative and defensive scheme in the second half.

"The same thing happened against Bayonne. They got a late one again in the first half, but the girls came back out in the second half and had that heart and that dedication and desire to try to get that equalizer.

"Just tonight it was a little tough in the weather," Van Soest said.

Van Soest's squad ratcheted up more and more pressure as the second half progressed, but the Cutters struggled to penetrate Dumont's back line and find quality scoring opportunities from inside the 18-yard box.

"You get a lot of shots on goal, but they're not quality," he said. "They're just kind of to the goalie and it doesn't make anything too difficult for her."

Fair Lawn's finest scoring chances in the second half came in the waning moments of play. First, the Dumont keeper batted away a high volley that sailed through the box as Fair Lawn's Lauren Guglielmelli gave pursuit.

Then in the final minute, a Jen Stefanik free kick from the left sideline rolled through traffic without connecting with a teammate's foot.

Junior goalkeeper Kessiah Tolentino turned in a fine effort in defeat, allowing only one goal while stopping a pair of Dumont free kicks from just outside the box.

"It went to a kick-and-run game and we've been trying to get away from that. Nothing worked out," said Van Soest. "Especially in these conditions, the ball skids, it bounces off your feet."

The Cutters return to action on Tuesday with a tough test against unbeaten Ramapo.