Ramapo Boys Defeat Northern Highlands, Advance to State Semifinals

He is an electric talent who had just scored a world-class goal in overtime to give Ramapo a 1-0 win, a state sectional championship and chance to keep their soccer family together for another few days.

It was only one goal in one season, but it spoke volumes about the player and the team he plays for.

With only a step on his defender, Mike Taranto let loose a blast off his left foot from 35 yards out and a split second later it was just inside the near post. With the win, Ramapo completed a four-game, season sweep of Northern Highlands, and advanced to the Group 3 state semifinals on Tuesday night against Scotch Plains-Fanwood at Ridge High School.

Highlands’ coach Sean DeVore called the goal “sick,” and Raider coach Evan Baumgarten said it was “amazing.” Talking about it a few minutes later made the junior smile as wide as a soccer goal.

“This is the biggest goal I’ve scored because it’s the farthest we’ve gone in my three years here,” he said. “We’d beaten Northern Highlands three times this year, but we talked about how that didn’t mean anything today.”

With that laser arriving in the Highlands’ net 4:53 into the first overtime, it meant Ramapo’s journey is far from complete.

“We’ve played Highlands four times this year and it’s gotten harder and more physical each time,” said Taranto. “We kept our composure throughout. We’d come from behind before, and we felt like we could do it again if we had to.”

The archrivals battled four times this year, with all but one going to overtime—that being Ramapo’s 2-0 win in the semifinals of the county tournament a few weeks ago.

“The game was up for grabs, but we found a way,” said Baumgarten, who said last Sunday’s loss in the Bergen County finals to Old Tappan seemed so long ago it was like “a distant memory.

“It’s been so much fun this season. You spend so much time with the kids and they make me remember why I’m still friends with the guys I played high school and college soccer with,” Baumgarten said.

It was a cold, blustery afternoon that had anyone not playing dressed for winter, but Ramapo turned up the heat on the field a little more than the midway point of the first half—generating half a dozen quality chances—but to no avail.

The Raiders’ biggest opportunity came with 46 seconds in the half when Highlands was called for obstruction in the box. James Bounavita was summoned to the penalty kick area, but was denied on a diving save by Highlands’ keeper Alan Tischbein. Ramapo knew that was an obvious invitation for Highlands to turn the tide.

“We had the momentum at that point and we talked at halftime about how we couldn’t let them grab it away from us,” said Baumgarten. “Everyone wants to beat us, but we created some scoring chances and our captains [Brandon Alvarado and Matt Deziel] kept the kids going.”

And Taranto finished it.

“Mike’s a great talent, yes, but he’ll get better,” said Baumgarten. “I believe he could play for any college team in the country as a defender.”

At the moment, Taranto and his teammates are only out to prove they are the best high school team in the state.