Girls Soccer: Ridge advances to Group IV final with win over Morris Knolls

FRANKLIN (Somerset) - The Ridge High School girls soccer team knew whichever team scored first on Tuesday night was going to the NJSIAA Group IV Tournament final, so against Morris Knolls in the semifinals, the Red Devils did what they had to do. 

They scored first and held on for a 1-0 win over the Golden Eagles (21-3-1) in the Group IV semifinals at Franklin High School. 

Coming off a 4-3 win over Westfield in penalty kicks after playing a scoreless 100 minutes in the North 2 Group IV final, Ridge (18-4-1) knew it had to score against Morris Knolls. 

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"I think coming into the game, we kind of came in very confident with our head on strong, but we didn't want to think too much about the other team," Ridge senior defender Erin Keefe said. "We tried to settle and play our game, after coming away from PKs against Westfield, we knew that we had to get a goal early on, so once we got that goal I think it was a relief."

Ridge struck with 8:29 remaining in the first half. On a corner kick by Molly Mahoney, Keefe sent a header toward the goal, where Morris Knolls goalie Madison Somogyi made the initial save, but the rebound went back out into play, where Bailey Aaron was waiting. Aaron took the shot and scored to give the Red Devils a 1-0 lead. 

"It was off a corner kick, and I just knew coming in that I had to jump higher than the girl in front of me, and I got it and I got a piece off of it, and Bailey Aaron just got the tap in and finished it off," Keefe said. "It's actually the biggest relief, we knew we could do it, we just knew we had to do it early and it's such a relief knowing that we were up 1-0."

The Ridge offense, which took five corners, kept pushing for an insurance goal and had a few chances, but Somogyi and the Morris Knolls defense kept the Red Devils at bay. 

Somogyi made nine saves, while Ridge goalie Ally Lindsey made eight. 

"Madison Somogyi put on a clinic tonight in the goal, we always tell her we need her to control that six and she did, she came out, she was a force in the back, she did an incredible job and I'm really proud of her," Morris Knolls coach Stephan Zdanowicz said. "(Ridge is) an incredible team, that's the best team that we've seen all year. Their pace, all over the field, every single player has some serious speed and just technical ability, they knew what they were doing with the ball and they were just playing like a unit."

Morris Knolls ends a historic season in which it won its first Morris County Tournament title since 1988, and won its first North 1 Group IV sectional title since 2009 with a 3-1 win over Ridgewood. 

"We were just joking because last year we were 8-12-1 I think and the year before that, this group of seniors, their sophomore year we won three games, so who would have ever thought that this group could come together the way they did to win a county championship, first one since 1988, a state sectional title, and to get to this game," Zdanowicz said. 

For Ridge, unfinished business is waiting the Group IV final. The Red Devils will face Freehold Township, the same team they tied 1-1 in 2015 to finish as co-champions. Last year, Ridge fell to Hunterdon Central in the final. 

"I think we have to go out there very confident, feeling like we can do it, and I think we can, so we've just got to go in and finish," Keefe said.

The Group IV final is slated for 5:30 p.m.  Saturday at Kean University.

Staff Writer Lauren Knego: lknego@gannettnj.com; on Twitter: @laurenknego