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It's history for the Kinnelon girls' soccer team. The Colts won the Morris County Tournament final on Sunday by rallying to defeat Randolph, 2-1, at Chatham's Cougar Field. The county title is also the first in any team sport for Kinnelon High School.
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After going down 1-0 three minutes into the match, the Colts settled down and began to create scoring opportunities. Despite being an underdog and facing a Group 4 team, Kinnelon showed that their soccer program has a bright present and future.
Randolph took the early lead on a rebound after a shot on goal. And, for the next ten minutes the Rams looked like they were on their way to be crowned county champs. However, on an improbable play, Carmela Pagliarulo bent in a corner kick to tie the game at one. The rest of the half had some exciting play but neither team was able to take the lead into the locker room.
The second half started with Randolph taking the initiative and creating the early chances. The Rams came close on a couple of occasions but Kinnelon’s defense was able to stand their ground.
Later in the half, as if the first goal wasn’t impressive enough, senior captain Carleigh Morba scored from 30 yards out, putting the Colts ahead for good. Randolph was shaken up and could not regain any momentum. The Rams' pressure thereafter was present but lacked cohesiveness.
The future looks bright for Kinnelon as 7 starters are sophomores. This kind of experience will pay dividends in the state tournament and in years to come.
Coach Steve Racine was proud of his team, especially for their come-from-behind effort. “This group of girls works hard and they did what we asked them to do,” Racine noted.
The Colts earned this title on defense. The goal scored by Randolph early in the final game was the only score conceded by Kinnelon in the final three rounds of the tournament. The seventh-seeded Colts took down the #2, #3 and #5 seeds en route to the historic soccer--and sports--championship.
--Emir Ligouri
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