Somebody has to win. Somebody has to lose.
Overtime: one touch, one swift motion, one deft kick decides who advances and who stands on the sideline, watching their opponent bask in the bright lights of a championship game bid.
Both Westfield and Kearny won in extra time in their respective sectional tournament championship games, with Westfield defeating Scotch Plains-Fanwood in penalty kicks and Kearny defeating Clifton in overtime. The two dominant defenses brought much anticipation to this matchup, but not even the smartest of analysts could predict the series of events that would unfold between the two sides.
Westfield took the opening kickoff, and the match was underway. The fans had not even taken their seats before the first key point of the game. The Blue Devils were granted a penalty kick opportunity just three minutes into the game, but junior Ethan Wade could not push the ball past the diving Kearny keeper, who smothered the ball in his grasp diving to his left. “Look back at the PK. That’s one of the difference makers. We make that and maybe it changes the complexion of the game and we go up 1-0 instead of coming back from being down,” said head coach Eric Shaw.
The Blue Devils and the Kardinals exchanged opportunities for the next 20 minutes, until Kearny built up pressure and started their drive downfield. They managed to break free, but the shooter was denied by senior goalkeeper Luke Tennant’s diving save. The forward sprinted towards the rebound, but his shot again could not beat the swiftness of Tennant, as he knocked away the ball.
After a yellow card was drawn by a Kearny attacker, the physical pace of the game grew, as more fouls were called on both teams for the remainder of the game, with four yellow cards being handed out in total. Kearny thought they had scored with time winding down, but they were offside, keeping the game at zero apiece.
The second half began with Westfield in full control prompting a free kick opportunity nine minutes in. The ball was crossed right into the middle of the box, but was punched away. However, it went right to the feet of a Westfield midfielder. He played the ball back into the box, and with an open net in front, Westfield could taste a lead. Unfortunately it was not in the cards for the Blue Devils, as the shot flew well over the goal.
With 18 minutes left, the score was still knotted at zero. Luckily for the Kardinals, they found an open forward on an attacking opportunity, and he slid the ball past Tennant, notching the first score of the game.
The joy of Kearny was short-lived. Less than two minutes later, a corner kick was awarded to Westfield, and senior captain David Savransky stepped up to take it. He crossed the ball into the midst of Blue Devil forwards and Kardinal backs and found senior Adam Tukaczynski. Tukaczynski headed the ball into the top of the net to tie the match at a goal each.
Nothing could separate the two teams throughout the match. Any time one side had an opportunity, the other would have an opportunity of the same magnitude shortly after, only to be denied by the defense or the keeper. With under 10 minutes to play, both teams believed that a goal would seal it. Luckily, the Blue Devils had a captain that could lead by example. Zach Preucil received a beautiful crossing pass from sophomore Alex Rokshar, and he planted the ball into the bottom right corner of the goal with only eight minutes remaining in the game.
The Blue Devils finally had themselves a lead, and the bench came alive, and the fans who made the 40 minute drive to Kearny were ecstatic. However, the lead lasted not even 90 seconds of playtime. A failed attempt at a clearance by the defense let a Kearny forward score on a chip shot goal to tie the game yet again.
With six minutes left, Preucil ricocheted a shot off the post, nearly granting Westfield a 3-2 lead. However, full time had expired, and overtime was underway.
Westfield kicked off overtime, starting with pressure. Senior Ben Nemetadzira curved a shot towards the goal, and the bench, in perfect view of the shot, saw it travel towards the top of the goal. Westfield players and coaches edged closer to the sideline, ready to rush the field, but the ball glanced right off the top of the cross bar, kept out of the goal.
A Kearny forward gained possession. He dribbled past two defenders, passed it through the middle, received the ball back on the give-and-go, and had only Tennant in front of him. He slid the ball to Tennant’s right.
As the ball dribbled past Tennant, the stadium held its breath. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as all eyes locked onto the ball and necks craned to try and get a better view. From the sideline, the only indication that the goal was scored was the faint quiver of the net as it made contact with the ball.
Somebody had to win. Somebody had to lose.
As the officials signaled for the goal, the Blue Devils looked to the assistant referees, hoping to see them raise their flag or nullify the goal in any way. That last glint of hope faded as the referees looked at each other, confirming the goal.
Preucil shared his final thoughts about this team and their run, saying, “I’m really proud of them, what they left out on that field. I hope they have no regrets on what they left on that field. I’m extremely proud of how everyone played, everyone gave it their all. There’s a lot of heart and a lot of passion out there and it sucks that it comes to an end, but it is what it is.”
From riding high throughout the game, nearly finishing the match and almost moving on, to sitting on the bench packing their gear. Their state tournament run, done. The season, over. And for seniors, possibly the last time that they will ever be on the pitch in a uniform. In the blink of an eye, the dream of being crowned champions dissipated into the air.
