Ramapo girls soccer shuts down Northern Highlands in hard-fought rivalry game

ALLENDALE – Ramapo coach Maddie Gibbs preached to her team to be ready to play a full 90 minutes on Tuesday.

But this time, no overtime was needed to decide a classic Bergen County rivalry.

Instead, the Raiders put forth their best effort of the season and gained a sliver of revenge for a heartbreaking state tournament loss last November.

Kate Langfelder and Abby Hendrickson scored a goal in each half and the third-ranked Raiders swept past No. 7 Northern Highlands, 2-0, in a Big North Freedom battle in Allendale. Ramapo (3-0) applied heavy pressure from the opening minute with its patented style of play: connecting quick passes on the ground that keep the opponent on its heels.

"It's a lot of fun when we play like that," Hendrickson said. "It makes the game so enjoyable. Especially to get a win like that against this team makes it 10 times better."

It's hard to find a much better rivalry than the one between Ramapo and Northern Highlands and not only because of their collection of Bergen County titles.

The records and rankings are often thrown out the window in a game that's circled and highlighted on each of their calendars. The Raiders and Highlanders have gone to overtime at least once in each of the last four seasons, including the final meeting back in 2021. That's when the Highlanders avenged two blowout losses with a stunning win over Ramapo in the North 1, Group 3 quarterfinals.

Ramapo was eager to turn the page in its first opportunity.

"It feels good," Gibbs said. "Of course I love to win more than the next person, but I really saw our team take a big step forward today. We have a lot of new faces out there and it really started to click not only because it was a win and we put two in the back of the net."

What it means

Ramapo has now beaten Northern Highlands in four of the last five meetings dating back to the start of the 2020 season. The latest win is important in the short-term because it keeps the Raiders in contention for the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Bergen County tournament. Ridgewood joins them on the short list of favorites after splitting head-to-head meetings in the last two BCWCA finals.

The Raiders have had to revamp the lineup this fall with four new starters on defense, including a freshman and a sophomore. The only college commit left on the roster is Seton Hall-bound senior Megan Twomey.

"It's a different type of team (this year)," Langfelder said. "I think we're working really well together and gelling with each other and moving off the ball with each other."

Northern Highlands fell to 3-2 despite a heroic effort from goalie Mia Langan who made several diving stops in a 11-save performance.

"I think we're working hard. I think we just need to work smarter," Highlander coach Tara Madigan said. "The tough part is that this early in the season you're still trying to build a cohesive unit on the field. We're still working through that. We've had players move in and out of different positions and different formations."

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Turning points

Ramapo came off the bus ready to play but had to wait until the end of the first half to get the reward. Twomey sent a cross from the left sideline and Langfelder deflected it home for the go-ahead goal with 21.3 seconds before the break.

"(Langfelder) brings so much to the team," Gibbs said. "She does her job and she does it really well. She's very hard to defend."

Langfelder set up the second goal when she found Hendrickson on a breakaway through the middle of the Northern Highlands defense. Hendrickson fired a shot to the left side for her first varsity goal in the 55th minute.

"I don't think I was (offside)", the sophomore said, despite protests from some home fans. 'It was an amazing play by Kate and to finish it was amazing."

Ramapo goalies Maddie Kellogg and Bridget Carr combined for the shutout after playing 40 minutes each.

Up next

►Ramapo returns home on Thursday for a crossover match against Demarest.

►Northern Highlands will pay a visit to Big North Freedom rival Hackensack on Thursday.

Sean Farrell is a high school sports reporter for NorthJersey.com. For full access to live scores, breaking news and analysis from our Varsity Aces team, subscribe today. To get breaking news directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter and download our app. 

Email: farrells@northjersey.com 

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This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Ramapo NJ girls soccer shuts down Northern Highlands in rivalry game