SADDLE RIVER – Saddle River Day coach PJ Petrow had every reason to play it safe.

The Rebels were facing the dynasty that had beaten them by four goals a year ago. They were playing on a soggy field and taking a championship stage with just two senior starters. And with their right back unavailable, a freshman was stepping into the lineup to help contain DePaul’s leading scorer.

Instead, Petrow spent Thursday afternoon yelling, “Up! Up!”

His team listened. The Rebels pressed DePaul into mistakes, controlled the tempo and delivered a convincing 3-0 victory in the North Non-Public B final.

After getting shut out in last year’s semifinal, top-seeded Saddle River Day (17-2) turned the tables on No. 2 DePaul (14-4) to capture its second sectional title and first since 2019. The Rebels scored three times in a 17-minute span, then made sure the five-time defending champion never found a way back into the game.

“I could believe it last year,” midfielder Ella Ramasamy said. “Because I think we’re a completely different team. We’ve just improved so much this season. I think this was always going to happen. I just fully believed in this team from the start.”

Inside the match

The Rebels came up with a remarkable first-half response on Thursday.

In the 15th minute, sophomore Brinley Samples opened the scoring with a long-range goal from the right side. About three minutes later, she took on the role of playmaker, sending junior Grace Darling through on a breakaway. Darling took a touch around the oncoming goalkeeper before finishing into the empty net.

Late in the half, the Rebels struck again. Emma Lopez delivered a corner kick from the right side, and the 6-foot-0 Darling crouched near the far post to redirect a header into the net.

Darling’s two goals sent the Rebels to Sunday’s Non-Public B state final against Rutgers Prep and pushed her total to 14 this season. Soccer is a second sport for Darling, who led the basketball team in scoring last year.

“Grace is just an incredible athlete,” Petrow said. “What she brings to the table is just a ton of poise, a ton of character. She’s never too high, never too excited, never too low. She’s always somebody that we can go to as a team.”

Changing the lineup

A major question was how Saddle River Day would defend without starting right back Adrianna Sanchez, who was away with the Peruvian U17 national team.

Enter freshman Maddie Sloan. Typically a midfielder and forward off the bench, Sloan moved into the back line and helped neutralize Manhattan-bound standout Isabella Ricca. Sloan and center back Gabby Stewart handled much of that assignment, while freshman goalkeeper Alice Tishco secured the shutout.

Petrow said Sloan’s reputation as the fastest player on the team made her a natural choice to handle the assignment.

“If Maddie can’t stay with her, then it is what it is,” Petrow said. “But at the end of the day, Maddie was able to stay back, make things difficult and keep her in front of her.”

Petrow has plenty of options on offense, too. Saddle River Day averages four goals per game with four scorers in double figures. The Rebels have also made the most of their new home turf, improving to 10-1 on their field this season.

“We really appreciate [the home fans] because it’s really motivational when we’re on the field,” Ramasamy said. “I feel like the last three years I’ve been here, no one’s really come to the girls’ games, but I feel like more recently this year, we’ve gotten so much more support and people coming out, and those bleachers were filled. It was an incredible experience to be on this field and hear everyone cheering for us.”

Saddle River Day will have a chance to end another dynasty after taking down one that stood in its way. Rutgers Prep, which has won four consecutive Non-Public B state championships, awaits Sunday.

“There’s really nothing to lose at all,” Darling said. “We’re all just going to go for it.”