By Andy Loigu

Although losing in a semifinal with a chance to win the state crown is disappointing, winning a sectional championship to reach the final four is a big deal historically.

In a rematch of the 2014 boys soccer group two semifinal, the Tigers lost at Ramsey by a 2-0 score last week, thus ending Hackettstown’s 2021 season with a 16-5-3 record. In the 2014 game, the Hackettstown Tigers earned a trip to the state final with a win over Ramsey. They finished that year’s journey with their 354th and final win under retiring head coach Gary Thomas as they won the state championship.

Ramsey, the North Jersey Section One Group Two champion for the fourth time in the last 10 years, got an early break to start this year’s meeting. A freakish own goal gave Ramsey the lead just a minute into the game.

The own goal happened as a Tiger got to an enemy throw-in and intercepted it with his head, The ball simply bounced in the wrong direction. Even the Ramsey players admitted it was a “lucky break” but they shut out the Tigers the rest of the way and scored another goal and a win is a win. 

Tiger goalkeeper Nate Harrison did a splendid job of keeping Hackettstown within striking distance. He blocked a breakaway shot and a free kick. He made nine saves in the game. The second Ramsey goal came on a rebound shot after Harrison had made a deflection. This old basketball player would call that a put back.

Hackettstown got several corner and free kick opportunities. They also put the ball into the net and thought they’d scored, but the referee did not award them the goal. Ramsey kept attacking, putting the pressure on, limiting the time of possession for the Tigers. The Ramsey players never went into stall mode.

Ranked 19th in the state (all groups) by NJ.com, Ramsey went on to the state final, where they lost on Saturday to tenth ranked Delran, from Burlington County. The South Jersey program won its ninth group two state title.

Coach Matt DeMartini has instilled an attention to detail in the Tigers, who make sure they do everything the right way all the time, even in the pregame warmups. He attributed the successful season to the players’ not taking any shortcuts in their preparation and skill development.

In the final stats, the Tigers scored 59 goals, with 41 of them being assisted.

Midfielder Chase Reardon led the Tigers in scoring with 24 goals and eight assists. Forward Cam Reardon scored seven goals and made a team-leading nine assists.

Junior Matt Taenzer scored six goals and midfielder Ryan Luke created six assists. A total of 11 players all scored at least one goal this season.

Minding the nets, Nate Harrison made 80 saves and Andrew Kmetz made 63 saves.

With conference and section championships, 2021 was another banner year for Hackettstown boys soccer.

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Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building.