Big 2nd half propels Ridgewood past No. 12 Clifton for first section crown since ‘93

For someone who’s playing Division I tennis in college, Ridgewood midfielder Niko Martirossian sure looked at home on a soccer pitch on Friday night.
And it’s a good thing, too.
His goal with 5:39 left to play put Ridgewood up for good, 1-0, on No. 12 Clifton in the North 1, Group 4 section final, which Ridgewood won 2-0 for its first section crown since 1993.
Martirossian’s goal was the culmination of a game where Ridgewood seem to have chance after chance and possessed the ball in their attacking third for much of the final 40 minutes.
A physical, chippy, intense game, Ridgewood was able to play its style and take Clifton out of its style, eventually cashing in.
“The second half, we definitely broke through and had most of the chances,” Martirossian said. “Unlike the first half, where I think we were a little hesitant and nervous, we just got one little break and the game changed from there.”
Even before that point, Ridgewood coach Aidan McCluskey, now in his ninth season leading the Maroons, felt Ridgewood played the better game.
“That second half performance, it was just brilliant,” McCluskey said. “They’ve worked hard for it. There’s been something about this team all year, so I’m thrilled for them.”
Clifton, normally known for its possession-based, technical style, opted to play a lot of direct balls and balls over the top, but Ridgewood stayed within itself, took what it was given and was able to
“We can knock the ball around pretty well and we created chance after chance after chance,” McCluskey said.
Last year, it was Clifton that got the final say and ended Ridgewood’s season in the section quarterfinals with a 3-0 win. So on Friday, Ridgewood made sure to return the favor in a chippy, physical, high intensity game from the first whistle.
“Since we’ve played them a few times, we know how they play at this point,” senior midfielder Niko Martirossian said. “But also this year, I think our team chemistry and the way we’ve grown is really top tier.”
The other thing that was top tier? The atmosphere.
McCluskey said his team asked to play a Friday night game under the lights to show they belong and that they could handle the big moment.
The crowd, which was standing room only on the Ridgewood side and was the biggest for a soccer game McCluskey or his players had experienced — was also a big factor in Ridgewood’s favor and embraced Martirossian, Kosuke Yoshikawa and all the other players who leapt into the crowd after the win.
And though this was uncharted territory for every player on the team, the mission was clear and Ridgewood was as confident as ever.
“All the work we’ve put in, especially the kids who’ve been on the team since sophomore year, we knew coming in that no one’s beating us,” Gettysburg commit and star forward Cameron Linnington said. “We knew weren’t taking a loss for an answer in this game. No one was going to come on to our field and outplay us or outwork us.”
After the game, the fist pumps, the points to the crowd, the smiles, the leaps into the crowd, the pure unbridled joy all said it all.
The message? Perhaps now, after all this time, Ridgewood soccer has finally arrived.
It took a long time — 31 years, in fact. But now after Friday, perhaps the Bergen County school that’s long been a hotbed for football, lacrosse, tennis and other sports can now firmly establish itself as a soccer school.
“I’ve been trying since the day I took over for this,” McCluskey said. “It’s a lacrosse and a football town and hopefully this kind of thing will propel kids to want to play this game and it’s a beautiful game.”
And regardless of what happens on Tuesday in the state semifinal against No. 3 Scotch Plains-Fanwood, one thing’s for certain and can’t be taken away anytime soon.
“This is for everyone that came through this program and so many have paved the way for these guys,” McCluskey said. “But now they’ve created history. And that’s pretty special.”
Jake Aferiat can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him at @Jake_Aferiat.
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