Rams footy came to an end with a loss against NO.1 team in the state, Delbarton, in which it was a 4-1 game. The Rams battled the entire game and faced a 2-0 deficit early until Max Cook hit a banger outside the box to cut the lead in half. With the loss in the quarterfinals against Delbarton, the Rams were sent back home, and it also meant that OP’s seniors became soccer alumni.
All in all, the season for Rams footy was a success in which they finished with a 7-10-1 record. The Rams this year faced 4 top 20 opponents such as SPF(NO. 16) to start the season, St Peters Prep (NO. 10), Elizabeth (No.16), and Delbarton (NO.1) to wrap up. The way the Rams competed with these teams showed that they are capable of playing high-quality opponents and can beat anyone they put their minds to. The Rams started the season with a record of 2-5 and it looked like their season was over pretty much when it started. To respond to that the Rams gained back-to-back wins against Plainfield, once at home and once in the county tournament on pens. The Rams would go on to lose to GL in the second round of counties 2-1, as GL went on to beat high-quality opponents such as Union and Elizabeth. At this point, the Rams were 3-6-1, as they would take on Brearley away looking for a win. The Rams went on to lose against Brearley in a tough 2-0 loss, as this showed Coach Baressi the team needed a change.
The Rams failed to score goals all season long and after the game against Brearley, finishing would be the only thing the Rams would practice. After that game, the Rams beat Pequannock, New Providence, and Roselle Park in a row improving their record to 6-7-1. Next up was Chatham and Cranford who the Rams lost to in very competitive games before the state tournament. The Rams achieved the NO.8 seed in the Non-Public A state tournament, playing NO.9 Pope John in the first round. Being down 2-0, the Rams were able to come back and win the game 4-3 in OT thanks to a Julian Stauffer goal. The win against Pope John is considered to be the best win at home in the last ten years.
The team leaders for the Rams in scoring were Sean Van Hoven (11), Max Cook (9), and Henry Griffiths (8). Henry Griffiths led the team in assists with 15 and Max Cook followed with 4 of his own. George Fagan led the team in saves with 68 in all. The Rams are looking to make some noise next year with them having a very young team, so Rowdies come, show up, and watch out!!
