August 6, 2006

 

 

Sunday, the final day of Super-20 North American Final play, began with the final four teams, poised to call themselves champions of a continent – Washington, D.C’s Freedom, New Jersey’s Parsippany SC, Miami’s West Kendall, and New York City’s Red Bull New York.

 

Play began chivalrously, with the women kicking off at 10 a.m. A day earlier saw these same two sides standing at a stalemate through 80-plus minutes. A stoppage time goal for Parsippany landed them a 1-0 goal victory – their only prize, a morning rematch with ten-fold implications.

 

Parsippany began Sunday’s rematch feeling spry, the only club successful against the Freedom all summer. Their confidence personified in their most potent offensive weapon, striker Marisa Stock.

 

Stock won two early breakaways for Parsippany, both lofted over Washington’s back line from a trio of clever midfielders. Unfortunately, the two balls she tracked down on her way to goal were low, driven shots the Freedom’s Eliza Bennett-Hatton was equal to.

 

New Jersey continued to apply pressure, breaking through the midfield in the 25th minute when Stephanie Zalewsky picked out Jessica Bitsack inside the area with an effective header. The pass caught the Freedom defenders by surprise and Bennet-Hatton was helpless to alter the fate of a sure goal.

 

The Freedom gained some bearing nearing the end of the first half as U.S. National Team member Katie Watson, needed very little room or chances to change the game in Washington’s favor. Her swift feet and accuracy from range tested the aforementioned trio of Ingrid Wells, Casares, and Jessica Bitsack. The three used speed and decisive combinations play to hold Parsippany’s one goal advantage for the time being.

 

Watson’s experience prevailed late in the first half as she targeted the back post with a looping shot from 25 yards that beat Parsippany’s Caitlin Nazarechuk to her right. The impressive strike evened the sides 1-1 at the halftime whistle.

 

Freedom Head Coach David Tenney’s halftime changes in tactics were noticeable from the second half whistle and the game twisted in favor of Washington.

 

“Parsippany did some things in the first half that had us off balance,” said Tenney. “We were playing too direct. The second half we looked to spread out their backs with some attacking play down the wing.”

 

The changes put Parsippany’s backs under pressure for the first 20 minutes but New Jersey was able to withstand the initial volley and play evened out for the remainder of the half. Nearing the end of 90 minutes the Freedom again flexed their muscle, spraying an array of shots at Parsippany’s net without dialing in any true threats on goal.

 

New Jersey countered with a pair of crosses from the right flank, one of which deflected out of bounds after nipping the crossbar. Both teams refused to surrender a late goal and the match headed into overtime.

 

Overtime played evenly – the best chance going to Parsippany, whose three consecutive corners required a stretching save from second half substitute goal keeper Chante Sandiford. She excelled herself again, a few minutes later, making a cross-body save to stonewall a breakaway by Parsippany’s Stock. The two saves forced the match into a penalty shootout that Sandiford, entering her senior year of high school and already verbally committed to play soccer for Villanova in the fall of ’07, continued to dominate.

 

Sandiford imposed her will upon Parsippany’s first three shooters masking a diving save on each, unfortunately, due to a miss and a save from New Jersey’s Nazarechuk, the Freedom held only a 1-0 advantage after three rounds of kicks from the mark.

 

Parsippany found the back of the net with their forth attempt from twelve yards out but by time all Washington needed was their final two shooters to hold true. The third and most prized game of the two team’s Mid Atlantic rivalry finally ended 3-1 in penalty kicks, in favor of the Freedom. 

 

“I have an idea of where shooters are going before they take the actual kick,” said Super-20 North American Final Most Valuable Player Chante Sandiford. “If they fire toward the opposite side I pick, I just react to that and try to get there. Fortunately today, that only happened once.”

 

“I felt this was what the Washington Freedom organization invisioned when they joined the Super-20 League,” added Tenney after the match. “In United Soccer Leagues’ system we can use the U20’s as a feeder program right to our upper level side. The younger players learn from playing with people like our U20 captain Katie Watson. We joined the league to get the competition from high class sides such as Parsippany. It’s a great honor to call ourselves North American Champions.”

 

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