SP-F Girls Soccer Team Edges Closer to County Championship

Before the 2005 season, the Scotch Plains-Fanwood girls’ soccer team had never won a Union County Tournament title.

Now, the Raiders are one win away from reaching the title game for the fifth consecutive year and having a chance to win a fifth straight championship.

On Saturday in UCT quarterfinal round play at Shimme A. Wexler Field in Scotch Plains, it was a first half goal by sophomore forward Sarah VanBuskirk that propelled the second-seeded Raiders past seventh-seeded Johnson, 1-0.

Scotch Plains improved to 10-1-1 with its eighth straight victory. 

Scotch Plains will next play the winner of Sunday’s 2 p.m. quarterfinal, which features 11^th-seeded Union Catholic at third-seeded and undefeated New Providence, in next Sunday’s (Oct. 25) 5 p.m. semifinal at Johnson in Clark.

Scotch Plains defeated Johnson 3-0 in last year’s UCT championship game at Johnson, winning the crown for the fourth consecutive season and for the third time outright.

Saturday’s game was much tighter.

VanBuskirk’s goal came with just less than five minutes remaining in the first half on a pass from Emily Nagourney.

“It was a diagonal pass from Emily that I got at the top of the 18 on the left side,” said VanBuskirk, who also said that it was her 11^th goal of the season. “I was able to slip it into the right corner with my left foot.”

“We played the ball wide and looked to attack,” eighth-year Scotch Plains head coach Kevin Ewing said. “We got the ball to Sarah on the left and she was able to hit a good shot that went in low at the far post.”

Although Scotch Plains had the edge in shots at 15-7, it was anybody’s game right until the end.

“Johnson is a good team and got a bad seed,” Ewing said.

The Crusaders (9-3-2) lost for the third straight time after a 9-0-2 start. Their first two losses were 1-0 setbacks to Westfield and Cranford, two other teams that advanced to the UCT semifinals.

“They should have been seeded higher,” Ewing said.

Scotch Plains was also led by junior goalkeeper Paige DellaBadia, who Ewing said missed two weeks with an injury. She was steady in net and made seven saves for the team’s fifth straight shutout and ninth total this season.

“Paige did a good job,” Ewing said. “She was out for two weeks and we had to decide whether to play her or our other goalie Taylor (Sebalao). We decided to go with Paige and she played well.”

On Oct. 3 both goalies combined for four saves in a Scotch Plains 2-1 home win over Monroe, which was 6-1-1. Sebalao made five saves in shutting out Linden 8-0 on the road Oct. 5. Linden was 5-2 at the time.

Scotch Plains ousted 15^th-seeded Roselle Catholic 6-0 at home in its first round game on Oct. 9. The Raiders have outscored their first two UCT foes 7-0.

“Today we came out so ready,” VanBuskirk said. “We expected it to be close game because we know that Johnson is a good team.”

“We like to play defense all over the field and the kids picked that up today,” Ewing said.  

2009 GIRLS' SOCCER 
UNION COUNTY TOURNAMENT 
 
SEEDS: 
1-Westfield. 2-Scotch Plains. 3-New Providence. 4-Union. 
5-Cranford. 6-Summit. 7-Johnson. 8-Oak Knoll. 
9-Governor Livingston. 10-Brearley. 11-Union Catholic. 12-Kent Place 
13-Rahway. 14-Linden. 15-Roselle Catholic. 16-Roselle Park. 
17-Elizabeth. 18-Plainfield. 
 
PRELIMINARY ROUND: 
Tuesday, Oct. 6 
Roselle Catholic 2, Plainfield 1 - at Plainfield 
Thursday, Oct. 8 
Roselle Park 5, Elizabeth 0 - at Roselle Park 
 
FIRST ROUND: 
Friday, Oct. 9 
Scotch Plains 6, Roselle Catholic 0 – at Scotch Plains

Saturday, Oct. 10

Cranford 4, Kent Place 0 – at Cranford

Union 1, Rahway 0 – at Union

Oak Knoll 4, Governor Livingston 2 – at Oak Knoll

Westfield 7, Roselle Park 0 – at Westfield

Union Catholic 2, Summit 1 (PKs 4-3) – at Summit

New Providence 8, Linden 1 – at New Providence

Johnson 2, Brearley 0 – at Johnson

 
QUARTERFINALS: 
Saturday, Oct. 17 
TOP SIDE OF THE BRACKET;

Cranford 3, Union 0 – at Union

Westfield 2, Oak Knoll 0 – at Westfield

BOTTOM SIDE OF THE BRACKET:

Scotch Plains 1, Johnson 0 – at Scotch Plains

Sunday, Oct. 18

11-Union Catholic at 3-New Providence, 2 p.m.

 
SEMIFINALS: 
Sunday, Oct. 25 at Johnson 
Bottom side of the bracket match, 5 p.m. 
5-Cranford vs. 1-Westfield, 7 p.m. 
 
FINAL: 
Saturday, Oct. 31 at Johnson 
Semifinal winners, 7 p.m.