North 1, Group 2 boys soccer final preview: Glen Rock at No. 11 Ramsey

North 1, Group 2| BRACKET

Friday, Nov. 15, 6:00 p.m.

3-Glen Rock (15-3-2) at 1-Ramsey (13-2-3)

HOW THEY GOT HERE

Glen Rock

The Panthers are back in the section final for the first time since 2018 when they won the section and made the Group 2 final. Glen Rock got to this point by beating Manchester Regional, 8-2, in the opening round and then shutting out Mahwah, 3-0, in the quarterfinals and then going on the road to West Essex and shutting out the second-seeded Knights, 2-0.

Ramsey

In the sectional finals for the sixth year in a row, Ramsey has won this section each of the last few seasons and they’re looking to continue that dominance. They haven’t allowed a goal through the first three games of the playoffs, outscoring their opponents 15-0 so far with a 7-0 first round win over Morris Tech, a 4-0 quarterfinal win over Jefferson and a 4-0 semifinal win over West Milford.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Glen Rock

• Drew Carlin, Jr., M (six goals, 16 assists)

• Alex Kim, Sr., M/F (15 goals, 17 assists)

• Harrison Wortley, Sr., F (23 goals, eight assists)

• Lukas Damevski, Sr., M (six goals, three assists)

• Andrew Eisenberg, Sr., G (64 saves, 10 shutouts)

Ramsey

• Joe Ariyan, Sr., M/F (nine goals, four assists)

• Kiran Dewan, Sr., F (11 goals, nine assists)

• Nico Quintero, Sr., F (10 goals, one assist)

• Christian Mangano, Sr., M (five goals, eight assists)

• Steven De Pinto, Sr., G (96 saves, six shutouts)

KEY FACTORS

Who scores first?

Defense has been a hallmark of both of these teams so far this season and this postseason. Ramsey has yet to concede a goal through three playoff games and has seven shutouts on the season. Glen Rock, meanwhile, has outscored opponents 13-2 in the postseason with back-to-back shutouts and 11 clean sheets so far this season. When these two first met back on Sept. 21, it was Glen Rock that jumped out to a 1-0 halftime lead before Ramsey tied it. And while that early goal wasn’t enough to hold up for Glen Rock in that game, with how stingy both of these defenses are and with how much better they’ve gotten down the stretch, an early goal for either team should provide a big boost in momentum for the rest of the game. Both teams have solid defenses and good goalkeepers, so don’t expect a high-scoring affair. Both teams have balanced offenses as well and an ability to score quickly, so the early part of this game could help set the tone. Both teams also know a lot about each other given that Ramsey coach Cesar Blacido and Glen Rock coach Matt Beverin were teammates and roommates together at Monmouth, so that familiarity could also play a factor as guys like Wortley, Kim and Carlin for Glen Rock and Ariyan, Dewan and Quintero for Ramsey are known quantities. So will other, complimentary scoring options step up, or will it be an effort to try and contain the usual suspects?

THE PICK

Glen Rock