MIDLAND PARK – The season came down to the girl in pink. The final shot would be the goalie’s to take.
Michelle Mecca stepped up to the box with a bright keeper’s jersey on her back and Midland Park’s championship hopes on her foot. Then in the final round of penalty kicks, the Panther goalie shot like a forward.
“I like being under pressure,” Mecca said. “That’s why I’m a goalie.”
Mecca led Midland Park to its first sectional championship in 24 years by scoring on the net she protected for almost an hour. Her shot helped Midland Park earn a 4-2 shootout win (2-2 final) over Hawthorne in Friday’s North 1, Group 1 final. Victoria Vado, Emma Lein and Meaghan Healy also made their PK attempts in the win.
After Mecca put the game away and the Panthers cleared the final hurdle, the sound of Queen’s We Are The Champions emanated from a boombox on the field.
“I know some girls were nervous,” said Mecca, who also stopped two penalty attempts. “But I knew it was going in.”
What it means
This title was a bit of redemption for Midland Park’s senior class that fell just short in the past. The Panthers lost in the final three years ago and had to watch Kinnelon celebrate on their home field.
Midland Park will now face Glen Ridge in Tuesday night’s Group 1 semifinal at Indian Hills High School.
“It’s the best feeling in the world right now for sure,” senior Kendra Cirino said. “It’s a dream come true. We’ve been working so hard and the work pays off.”
The results also validate Mecca for preparing on offense throughout the season. The junior works on penalty kicks after every practice and rehearsed with teammates Friday morning about 90 minutes before the game. Mecca actually began her career as a field player in kindergarten, only switching positions years later when a teammate got hurt.
Key plays
The turning point came with Mecca’s two saves to begin the shootout. She was well-positioned on the first attempt and went left to stop Briana Andreoli, who went the same way on a PK goal in regulation.
“She’s unstoppable,” Lein said. “Once she stopped those first two PKs, it was such a momentum builder. We knew it was in reach.”
The first 100 minutes between Midland Park and Hawthorne were fairly even. Avery Odell of the Panthers opened the scoring by pouncing on Cirino’s entry ball in the 27th minute. Bears’ freshman Ruby Conroy tied the game late in the half, but then Cirino and the Panthers responded about a minute later with a goal.
Game balls
There’s no doubt that Mecca and the entire Panther back line deserve credit for their hard work. Hawthorne came into the final averaging four goals per game, but only scored once during the run of play. Defender Alyssa Genao handled another tough assignment in marking Andreoli, while Mackenzie Cleary kept order in the back and impacted the game with her long throws.
By the numbers
► This was the fourth sectional title for Midland Park and first since coach Steve Silver’s group went back-to-back in 1993 and 1994.
► Hawthorne won at least 15 games for its third straight year. Though the Bears fell short of winning their first championship, their offense will return three of the top four scorers. That includes Andreoli along with Alejandra Castillo and Conroy.
They said it
“We just wanted it really, really bad. We have amazing seniors. They’re such great role models for everyone on our team so we wanted to play for them.” – Mecca
