Repeat complete: Ramapo boys soccer races past Ridgewood in Bergen County finals rout
OAKLAND – Jacob Marcos cheered from the bench once again as Ramapo wrapped up another Bergen County title.
This time, he was there for a much better reason than a torn ACL.
The Raiders simply didn't need their starters in the game after an unprecedented night of soccer.
Damian DiLisio opened the floodgates in the ninth minute and the Raiders locked down their 15th county championship by rolling past Ridgewood, 5-0, on a scenic Saturday evening at Indian Hills. It was, by all accounts, one of the most dominant championship performances in the tournament's 50-year history.
"Once we scored the first goal, the energy kept rising," Marcos said. "We just had to make sure not to lower our level because we know they would come out harder each time we scored."
Ramapo kept its foot on the pedal with goals from Albert Carilli and Riley Szoke in the opening half. MJ Dungo and Kevin McDonough scored after the break to put an exclamation point on Ramapo's title defense. That allowed the top-seeded Raiders to use all three goalies and rotate field players in and out over the last 15 minutes.
"I feel like it's the work we put in preseason," Dungo said. "We out-work every other team. We do stuff that no other program does. We're the hardest-working team there is."
What it means
The most decorated team in Bergen County tournament history will need to find some more room in its trophy case.
That's a good problem to have for Ramapo after winning its seventh title in 11 years and making history in the process. The Raiders tied the tournament record for the most goals in a final and set the mark for the largest margin of victory.
Now, Ramapo (13-0-1) will head into the state tournament as the only undefeated team left in North Jersey with Clifton getting bounced in the Passaic County final earlier in the day.
"I'm still learning every day," coach Evan Baumgarten said. "I know that it's about relationships. You could say X's and O's, but it's really about the relationships that we try to build with the kids."
Defense first
Ramapo took control of the game after DiLisio ripped a shot into the right corner for his team-leading 12th goal of the season.
The Raiders held Ridgewood to only three shots on goal with Marcos fortifying the back row with outside backs Jayden Onal and Nick Marino and stopper Cole Duschang. It's par for the course for a defense that leads all Bergen County teams in goals allowed.
"We communicate and we stay really connected in the back," Marcos said. "All of our midfielders are dropping back and helping out so it's not just the defense. It's a team thing."
The win was especially satisfying for Marcos after missing his entire sophomore season in 2021 after getting hurt in a scrimmage.
"I'm so happy for him that he came back and he could go at 100 percent," Baumgarten said. "He's smart. He knows when to step up and tackle and how to organize things in the back."
Last words
The Bergen County championship was a rematch from a Big North Freedom game from September when Ramapo clawed past Ridgewood, 2-0.
"Last time we played them, they hung back," Baumgarten said. "They played a low block. This time, they came to play. We were just on our game. We always try to say that we want to have more guys on the field. We want to act like there's more guys on the field than there actually are."
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Ramapo boys soccer races past Ridgewood in Bergen County finals rout
