Boys Soccer: Peterson's double-OT goal lifts Scotch Plains-Fanwood in Group IV semis

SOMERVILLE – After two would-be game-winning goals were disallowed during overtime and countless other shots sailed wide right or just over the crossbar throughout the game, it just didn’t seem like it was the Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School boys soccer team’s night.

But after his goal was disallowed with just under three minutes left in the second overtime period, junior John Murphy fired a free kick into the box from about 30 yards out where senior Ryan Peterson turned on the ball and scored to lead the Raiders to a 1-0 double overtime victory over Kearny in the NJSIAA Group IV semifinals on Tuesday evening.

The Raiders (22-3) advance to the Group IV final where they will face Hunterdon Central on Sunday, Nov 20 at 5:30 p.m. at Kean University.

“To have the team storm the field and to head over to the fans, it was a great feeling,” Peterson said. “When something doesn’t go our way, it’s all about focusing on the next play, and I think the goal is a good definition of that. (Murphy’s) goal was disallowed, but we got them on the next play.”

With 2:58 left to play in the second overtime period, Murphy scored off a free kick from about 30 yards out, but the game-winner was disallowed, and the referees gave Murphy a redo. On the second time around, Murphy fired the ball on the ground into the box where Peterson received the ball, turned and shot the ball into the back of the net.

“John had scored, but it was disallowed, so I was thinking he was going to put another one on target and maybe I’ll get a rebound,” Peterson said. “He hit it, and I was able to turn on it off of his free kick.”

Prior to the game-winner, the Scotch Plains sideline erupted into elation six minutes into the first overtime period when senior Parker Dvorin scored off a corner kick. The Raiders thought they clinched a state championship berth, but the goal was disallowed due to an offsides penalty on Dvorin

The two disallowed goals, on top of many near misses throughout the game, were gut punches. Nonetheless, the Raiders’ mental fortitude as well as their conditioning kept them in the game the entire time and kept them from falling apart amid some brutal near misses.

“The key to this is our fitness, I think we’re fitter than any other team at this particular time of the year,” Scotch Plains-Fanwood coach Tom Breznitsky said. “You could see the second half was dramatically different than the first half in that respect. It’s our fitness and the fact that the kids didn’t want to be denied.”

The Raiders set county, sectional and state championships as their goals in the preseason. With a county and sectional title already checked off the list, only Hunterdon Central, whose only loss this season is to Scotch Plains-Fanwood, stands in the Raiders’ way of their third and final goal.

“It’s going to be a hard fought battle, obviously,” Breznitsky said. “But if we play our game, it takes a hell of a team to beat us.”

Staff Writer Daniel LoGiudice can be reached at dlogiudice@gannettnj.com. Follow him on Twitter @danny_logiudice.