Undefeated Ramapo Boys Win Ugly

Poetry in motion it wasn’t.

But when you’re a perfect 11-0 on the season, you can’t expect them to all be works of art.

And while Friday night’s 2-0 win over Paramus Catholic may not have been worth writing home about, here’s all that needs to be said: The Ramapo boys’ soccer team remains unbeaten in mid-October, and they take the No. 1 seed into the quarterfinal round of the county tournament on Sunday at home.

For one night, aesthetics were something Ramapo was willing to overlook. That they gutted their way to victory on a rain-slicked field behind first half goals by Chris Nash and James Bounavita was sufficient cause to be content.

“When you don’t play up to your capabilities and still come out on top, that’s a pretty good sign,” said coach Evan Baumgarten. “We weren’t on tonight. We simply didn’t have it. As coaches, you want it all every time out, but over the years you learn that’s not going to happen.”

While effort and determination were evident, it was clear early on Ramapo wasn’t firing on all cylinders on a blustery night with a sparse crowd in attendance.

“We weren’t up to par tonight,” said Ian Foryessy. “We could have been better with our first touch off the ball. Overall, it wasn’t a pretty game—it was kind of like a war with some soccer mixed in.”

While both teams kept the referees busy, Ramapo was ultimately satisfied to be on the right side of the scoreboard.

“It gives us confidence to still be unbeaten,” added Foryessy. “There’s always room for improvement. The best thing we can do is put it behind us and start to focus on the next game. As long as we’re mentally prepared, we’re confident we’re going to keep on winning.”

Outside of the first 10 minutes, when Paramus Catholic carried the play and even hit a goalpost, Ramapo had the territorial edge throughout. The Raiders didn’t break through until Chris Nash scored from close range after a heads-up lead pass from Sean Etheridge with 12 minutes left in the half. Just over three minutes later, Bounavita converted on a penalty kick that resulted from a handball in the box.

Ramapo kept coming after that, but without padding their lead further, they allowed their opponents to stay in the game until the waning seconds. That’s not part of the game plan for Sunday, when the Raiders host Wallington (8-2), the tournament’s No. 8 seed.

“Tonight we just didn’t connect, but that tends to happen during a long season,” added Baumgarten. “Wallington [which plays at Ramapo at 11:30 a.m.] will be a tougher opponent. We’re going to have to high-pressure them. Until there are no more games left, we’ll be a work in progress.”

It was an imperfect performance, but it preserved the perfect season. Ramapo isn’t ranking the wins, they’re just counting them.