July 20, 2007
Princeton, NJ - The New Jersey Wildcats traveled to New Hyde Park, NY to play the Long Island Rough Riders tonight at Michael Tully Field. This final match for the Wildcats left many of the players coming off the field with their heads down and disappointment on their faces.
The team finishes the season with a 5-5-4 record, 15 goals for and 12 against placing them currently in the fifth standing trailing behind the Northern Virginia Majestics in third place and Boston Renegades in fourth.
Twenty seven minutes into the match, Rough Rider forward Melissa Shulman dished a ball off to teammate Brooke DeRosa, who received the ball on the top of the goal box and slipped it to the right of Wildcats goalkeeper Robyn Jones.
In the 30th minute, Jones redeemed herself as she dove out to stop Shulman’s dribble one v. one into the left corner of the 18-yard box . It was apparent right from the start that the Rough Riders made Shulman the center of their attack as she had a dominating presence in New Jersey’s defensive third.
Moments later, due to several unselfish acts from New Jersey’s forward line, the Wildcats lost several scoring opportunities that prevented the team from equalizing.
The aggression intensified as the minutes clocked on. It was clear that Long Island wanted to sustain its edge and New Jersey was craving a goal. A few seconds after the start of the second half, the Wildcats missed a penalty kick opportunity when the referee made a call against them just as a Rough Rider player dropped to the ground for an injury, clocking three minutes of injury time.
It took the Wildcats some time to get their momentum going after that, but in the 62th minute, the ball finally connected with the back netting. From a corner kick, Caroline Tuttle got the ball to teammate Liz Dauble, who shot the ball from six yards out on the left flank to the far post back corner of the goal, bringing NJ and LI to tie 1-1 for the moment.
Morale and enthusiasm was boosted after the equalizing goal as the pressure decreased. However, Long Island was far superior in quick transitions whenever New Jersey turned over the ball and lost possession in the midfield, so the Wildcats were not relaxed for long.
When New Jersey received a perfect set piece opportunity from 40 yards out. Aimee Bresani shot directly for goal and just tipped the crossbar which put the ball back into play, and with a quick transition, the Rough Riders were on their way down the field. Shulman got the ball right in front of Jones, who dove down low but could not catch Shulman’s chop to the side and rifled shot past to tally Long Island’s second goal of the match, in the 78th minute.
For the remaining twelve minutes, the Rough Riders tried to kill the clock while the Wildcats frantically tried to gain a scoring opportunity up top but to no avail. At the final whistle, Long Island gained the three points for the win.
The NJ Wildcats did not fair as well as previous seasons in division standings, however as claimed numerous times before, with a new staff and a whole new player pool, the program is not ready to throw in the towel but instead chooses to look at this season as a developing and transition year.
Everyone now knows what to expect from the W-League competition and will enter the 2008 season stronger, fitter, and more skilled than ever.
Thank you to everyone who supported the New Jersey Wildcats this season. Please check back at the website throughout the year as we will have several updates streaming frequently.
Weather: Warm
Summary:
LI: DeRosa (Shulman) 27
NJ: Dauble 62
LI: Shulman (McCabe) 78
Cautions
NJ: White 65, Boycon 66, Wheller 90
LI: Habenicht 61
Referees: Carlos Espinoza, Cynette Jeffrey Byrnoe, Hakan Baydere
| Goals |
Half1 |
Half2 |
Final |
| New Jersey Wildcats |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| Long Island Rough Riders |
1 |
1 |
2 |
| Shots |
Half1 |
Half2 |
Final |
| New Jersey Wildcats |
3 |
5 |
8 |
| Long Island Rough Riders |
5 |
5 |
10 |
| Saves |
Half1 |
Half2 |
Final |
| New Jersey Wildcats |
2 |
2 |
4 |
| Long Island Rough Riders |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| Offsides |
Half1 |
Half2 |
Final |
| New Jersey Wildcats |
0 |
2 |
2 |
| Long Island Rough Riders |
2 |
1 |
3 |
| Fouls |
Half1 |
Half2 |
Final |
| New Jersey Wildcats |
3 |
7 |
10 |
| Long Island Rough Riders |
6 |
4 |
10 |
| Corners |
Half1 |
Half2 |
Final |
| New Jersey Wildcats |
0 |
2 |
2 |
| Long Island Rough Riders |
1 |
2 |
3 |
