Ridge girls soccer gets past Westfield in a shootout

WESTFIELD - The Ridge and Westfield high school girls soccer teams both entered the NJSIAA North 2 Group IV semifinal having not conceded a goal to opponents in the sectional playoffs.

On Tuesday, the defensive dominance continued for both perennial teams, but it was fourth-seeded Ridge that advanced past No. 1 Westfield with a 5-4 victory in a shootout after a scoreless double-overtime draw at Gary Kehler Stadium.

Ridge senior goalkeeper Katie Grierson made the game-winning save up 5-4 in the sudden death shootout to give the Red Devils (13-4-3) an opportunity to defend their sectional title.

“I was just going with my gut,” said Grierson, who dove to her left to make the game-winning save. “I didn’t want to question myself, so I just picked a side and went hard.”

Up 4-3 in the shootout, Grierson nearly clinched the game earlier as she slapped away Carly Bechtloff's penalty kick, but the ball slowly rolled past the goal line to tie it at 4-4.

The Red Devils' sideline rushed the field thinking they had defeated Westfield (15-0-5), but were forced to recompose after the official indicated the goal was scored.

“The ball just curved back in,” said Grierson, who is primarily the backup goalkeeper but was rewarded the start on Tuesday. “I just took deep breaths, tried to block everything out and not think about the last save and just go to the next one.”

Following the near save, Ridge senior Julia Lindsey approached the box tied 4-4 and was able to find the back of the net for the go-ahead score as Westfield goalkeeper Liz Brucia dove to the opposite side.

“I just stepped up there and wanted to put it away for my team,” Lindsey said. “Coming into it we were ready to take them on and we wanted to come out and prove ourselves. We’ve really come into our own as a team at the end (of the season).”

For the defending Group IV champions the road to the sectional final has been bumpy, but the Red Devils' defense has progressed tremendously throughout the season.

Ridge held the Blue Devils to just three shots despite Westfield entering the matchup having scored nine goals in the last two games. Ridge was able to shutdown Westfield senior and University of Alabama commit Taylor Morgan, who finished the contest with just one shot on goal.

“We had a hard time with (Taylor Morgan) but we figured out to figure a way to limit her touches,” Ridge coach Katie Donahue said. “It would have been nice to settle this game in regulation, but we will take it. Our goal is to keep our season alive as long as we can and we are just pumped right now.”

While the Red Devils kept their season alive, the shootout defeat is a tough pill to swallow for Westfield, who was bounced out in the Union County Tournament semifinals in a shootout loss to Oak Knoll.

“It’s tough,” Westfield coach Alex Schmidt said. “Penalty kicks are never fair, to have a chance to win it and have a chance in PKs after coming back, it was an emotional game.”

As the Blue Devils end their season officially undefeated, the Red Devils will face off against No. 3 Scotch Plains-Fanwoood in the sectional final on Friday.

While the defending Group IV champs have had their ups-and-downs all season, including the tough 2-1 overtime loss to Watchung Hills in the Union County Tournament semifinals, the close-knit group has proven to pick each other up after tough losses.

“We’ve came back with a vengeance,” Lindsey said. “We’ve been training really hard, everyone’s been working and we all came together. We are all best friends on and off the field."