AUDUBON GIRLS SOCCER DEFEATS SHORE 2-1

The seconds felt like hours. Each shot made them hold their breath. And every stop sent the crowd into a tizzy. Audubon went up by two goals in the first half on Wednesday in the Group 1 semifinals and held on for dear life as three-time defending champ Shore peppered the net with shots. One of those attempts hit the back of the net, but that's all Audubon gave up as it held on for a 2-1 upset victory. That win ended Shore's run of six straight Group 1 final appearances and booked Audubon's first ever trip to the state championship game. The Green Wave will play Glen Ridge on Sunday with a chance to bring home the program's first Group 1 title. "We talked about how Shore wins like every year and they're always in the final," said senior Mackenzie Rapa-Slover. "We wanted to mix it up this year. You see upsets all the time and we knew we had the potential to beat them. We frustrated them all night and played our game and won and it's the best feeling ever. "We did it and we're here and now we're going to the state final. It's unbelievable." The game was scoreless for the first 30 minutes. Shore had come back from bigger deficits on bigger stages before. And when the Blue Devils drilled a shot in two minutes into the second half, it seemed like Shore had settled in and found its groove. The defending champs kept the pressure on for the final 38 minutes, but never did find that equalizer. Rookie keeper Aysiah Maldonado made sure of that with 14 saves. The freshman punched a shot from deep up and out at one point. Then slid to the ground to block another. She came off her line to make plays. She sat back and grabbed hold of point-blank attempts. No shot was good enough to beat her. Each save was more awe-inspiring than the last. And every stop put Audubon one step closer to the final. "It seemed like they pushed their whole team up in the second half and we were bringing our whole team back to help on defense," said Rapa-Slover. "We didn't really have anyone up top late in the game to win balls and get it forward, so Shore was in our end for most of the second half. "It was scary and frustrating and we just wanted to do everything we could to keep them out of the net until the buzzer went off." Shore had a chance to tie the game up came with just over 10 minutes to play. Senior Frankie McDonough - a 100-goal scorer - put a great ball on net, but the shot off the free kick didn't drop enough and banged right off the crossbar. Illinois commit Julia Eichnbaum hit another great shot a few minutes later, but the redirect out of the air was stopped by a diving Maldonado. The rookie keeper is as cool, calm and collected as they come according to Audubon coach Bill Scully and the moment never got too big for the freshman. Not even against a powerhouse like Shore. "Audubon played great defense and they worked really hard," said Shore coach George Moutis. "It was a tough second half. We dominated, but we just couldn't finish. Our seniors have done a great. Obviously, losing in the state finals is not something they wanted. It's unfortunate, but it's part of the game. "You can't win everything all the time." Five of the last six Group 1 finals have featured Glen Ridge vs. Shore. Glen Ridge made it back, but will have a new team to face at Kean University on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Audubon is now one win away from making history again. One hurdle away from taking home its first-ever state title and putting this team's name on a banner that will hang in the gym forever. The Green Wave is young, but talented. Audubon will go in as the underdog again this weekend. It already beat one Group 1 power with the cards stacked against it. So what's stopping it from taking out another? "Considering Shore has beaten Glen Ridge the last few years and we just beat Shore today, we know we have a chance this weekend," said McGrath. "We can't take Glen Ridge lightly because it's not like it's going to be an easy game. "It's going to be tough, but if we pull it together like we did tonight, we have a really good shot at winning."

AUDUBON GIRLS SOCCER DEFEATS SHORE 2-1

TIM HAWK

The Star Ledger | 11/14/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Brandon Gould