With 25 minutes and 6 seconds left on the clock, junior Will Yenawine finished off a rebound to put the Blue Devils up 2-1, advancing the team to the North II Group IV Sectional Quarterfinals.
Coming off an early exit in the Union County Tournament just over two weeks ago, the team had a lot of time to prepare heading into this game. “We need to score goals. That’s really what we focused on in training in the last week: the final third and finishing on goal. We’ve had some good moments but still need to clean up that piece right now,” said head coach Eric Shaw.
With this game kicking off the Blue Devils’ playoff run, each time they step onto the field has the possibility to be their last, something that the team has been cognizant of, especially as they entered halftime goalless. “At the end of the day, [my message at halftime was] to just be relentless in what you do. Whether it’s defensive tactics, attacking moments, one-on-one moments, just be relentless and then go for the moments we can,” said Shaw.
Despite their lack of goals in the first half, the Blue Devils dominated, having multiple opportunities to put themselves ahead but were unable to convert.
Shortly after the whistle blew for the second half, Dickinson capitalized on a misclearance from the Blue Devils’ back line, putting them up 1-0 with 38:17 left to play.
With the season on the line, the Blue Devils reacted with energy and fight. Senior co-captain Reean Dias said, “I think we responded very well, especially right off [the kickoff after Dickinson’s goal]. We were in their final third right away. It was better than our responses in other games where we went down 1-0.”
This season, the Blue Devils have not been able to come back from being down multiple goals in a game. Giving up another goal, without scoring, had the potential to be fatal. Senior Jack Hantman said, “As a defender, I knew that I had to keep it clean in the back and help out the attack to win the game.”
Just 10 minutes after conceding, junior Beckett Johnson was fouled in the box, resulting in a penalty kick. Despite the Blue Devils’ last loss being in PKs, Dias stepped up with confidence and composure, firing a low, driven shot into the corner to tie up the game.
Dias said, “I’ve been up and down with PKs this year, so I was really just thinking about how important this moment was to getting us back in the game. I really just wanted me and my teammates to keep our season going.”
Yeniwine scored 3 minutes later, securing the win for the Blue Devils alongside a strong defensive performance in the final 25 minutes.
The Blue Devils look to continue their run in the North II Group IV tournament in their quarterfinal matchup at J.P. Stevens on Friday at 1 p.m.
