Paramus Earns Date with IHA in Semis

OAKLAND - There is a constant presence, serving as a reminder, at every Paramus High School girls' soccer match. The reminder is a trophy, affectionately known as "Second-Place Sally," which graces the sidelines next to the Spartans' bench.

"We played in a preseason tournament in the summer, and we were clearly the best team in it," said the uber-confident Paramus head coach Vic DiPasquale. "We dominated at first but let up for a little bit and finished in second place."

Now, DiPasquale has his players carry "Sally" around to practices, games and pasta dinners. "Sally" even has her own seat on the bus. DiPasquale wants to be more than second best, and he feels the trophy helps motivate his players.

If the Spartans beat the Ridgewood Maroons on Friday, the former will be alone atop the division. But the Spartans had other business to take care of before then.

"Second-Place Sally" was on hand at Indian Hills High School for the Spartans' quarterfinal matchup against Ramsey in the Bergen County Tournament.

Fresh off their first loss of the season, DiPasquale had a one-word game plan for his girls: win.  The result: a 3-1 victory for the fourth-seeded Spartans.

Paramus got off to a hot start, creating scoring chances early on. After a pass from sophomore Sarah Cortes, freshman forward Noel Hodgins went top right corner in the ninth minute to give PHS a 1-0 lead.

Ramsey's Lexi Knief earned a penalty kick in the 15^th minute and made the best of her opportunity by tying the game at one apiece.

Both teams tussled back and forth, "playing kickball" as DiPasquale said, after Knief's goal.

Just before the break, Cortes launched a chip shot over the Ramsey keeper and into the goal.

"[Cortes] got in behind the defense, got the ball under control, recognized that [the keeper] was coming off her line; it was a nice finish," Paramus assistant coach Glen Haug said.

The Spartans passed the ball better and created even more opportunities in the second half. Their third and final score came off a set piece, a corner kick Paramus played short. Cortes found Alyssa Poplaski in the 6-yard box and the junior recorded her second goal of the tournament. 

Megan Lannigan and Kristina Meier controlled the midfield for the Spartans. The defense played strongly; Shayna Brock and Ashley Roessler kept Knief, Ramsey's star, in check.  Alex Garey was solid in goal as well.

By defeating the Rams, the Spartans have a date with top-seeded Immaculate Heart Academy in the semifinals. The IHA Blue Eagles are the reigning county champions, looking to win out for the fourth straight year.

"We're obviously the underdog in that game," DiPasquale said about the upcoming semifinal. "We're not going to lie down. We're going to give them our best."