Clarkstown North Girls Soccer Defeats Nanuet in Final Minutes

The Clarkstown North girls soccer team is now 1 – 1 for the season after defeating Nanuet Tuesday afternoon with two clutch goals in the last minutes of the game.

North opened up with an aggressive and physical presence on the field, which allowed them to maintain possession of the ball throughout the majority of the first half.  They played with an energy and disciplined teamwork that allowed them to maintain possession through hustling and effective passing. 

Nanuet as a whole seemed somewhat complacent in the first half on offense.  They had some good physical and aggressive plays by individuals, but they were unable to get it going as a team.

When they did lose possession, North swarmed the Nanuet attackers, not allowing them much of an opportunity to maneuver, and forcing the turnover with good physical defense.  North's goalie, senior Brooke Schwartz, never faltered as she managed to save every ball that got through.  Most impressive in the game was when Nanuet broke through and Schwartz managed to first block a near shot and then dive to recover and clear the ball just in time to stop an approaching attacker in what would have been a sure goal. 

Unfortunately for the Rams, they were unable to execute effectively in the goal area for most of the game.  This was thanks to some excellent defense by Nanuet, which forced North to take the tougher, longer shots.  The Rams hesitated on some open looks that they got, which seemed to be an issue of confidence, possibly brought on by Nanuet's tough defense.  When the Rams' shots did get through, Nanuet's goalie covered extremely well, with all but two excellent saves on the ball.

The first half concluded with the game tied at 0 – 0.  Nanuet then came out aggressively and energetically in the second half.  They seemed like a new team, as they hustled to the ball and swarmed the Rams on defense.  This got them the turnovers, which they made good use of with effective passing, cutting, quick drives, and heads up plays.  They appeared as the Rams had in the first half, while North looked somewhat fatigued and deflated.  Nanuet had effectively shifted the momentum in their favor as their attempts on goal continued to mount with their time in possession.

The Rams recovered before Nanuet was able to score and the game evened out, with both teams playing a fast-paced, physical game for the rest of the half. 

"We came out a little flat," said Rams' head coach Eric Kurz.  "But we rebounded after that." 

With the clock winding down, both teams continued to battle back and forth.  Despite numerous opportunities on both ends off free kicks, corner kicks, and well-placed passes to set up the close shot, neither team was able to break through the opposition's defense.

Then, with only a few minutes left in the game, the Rams went on a fast break.  It was #14 MacKenzie McIndoe leading the break and dribbling the ball past her defenders.  Running along the right wing, McIndoe made an excellent cross through coverage to #22 Lauren Seid who turned on the jets to blast between Nanuet's defenders and bury the ball in the back of the net past the diving goalie.  "It was probably one of the best feelings I've ever felt," said Seid of the play.  Her winning goal put the Rams up 1 – 0.

Nanuet hustled to get the ball back in play, and got into Rams' territory, however, their efforts were broken up by excellent defense from North.  Clearing the ball, the Rams went on the attack again.  This time, after getting a number of attempted crosses blocked, it was #20 Ashley Lew who crossed to #28 Erica Ronda, who scored through traffic to put her team up 2 - 0. 

Nanuet never gave up and hustled to go on the attack.  They got the ball down to the Rams' goal, however Schwartz was there yet again to stop and clear the ball.  This brought them to the end of the game and the Rams first win of the season.

Overall, it was a great effort from both teams that resulted in a fittingly dramatic end.  Fortunately for the Rams, everything came together for them at the end after both teams struggled to score the whole game.  "It was just the field not being in the best condition and frustration getting the best of us," said Seid of their struggles offensively throughout the game.  "But obviously we got over it in the end."

So, in the end, it was senior MacKenzie McIndoe with the assist to sophomore Lauren Seid, and freshman Ashley Lew with the assist to junior Erica Ronda who were able to make the plays when it mattered to hand their team the win.  It was an excellent effort all around though, that put them in the position to win it for their team. 

"We look to be a team that moves the ball around, we try to be a defensive team and we try to be disciplined," said Coach Kurz.  "And of course we look to be balanced.  We have certain girls who  can probably score a lot of goals, but we make sure to play a balanced game, which really benefits us."

The Rams look to continue to improve on their season when they play in Nyack Thursday at 4 p.m.