Girls soccer: Briarcliff outlasts Croton-Harmon in Class B double-overtime finals thriller
NYACK - Briarcliff had suffered numerous heartbreaks over the years, one as recent as 2021, when they last reached the Section 1 Class B finals.
This year, though, they won't be taking home the runner-up plaque, and they'll be trading those medals in for a golden ones. Briarcliff won its first Section 1 girls soccer title since 2009, outlasting Croton-Harmon in a double-overtime thriller.
With 13:48 remaining in the second overtime period, Briarcliff senior Jillian Mauro netted the game-winner off the rebound to seal the Bears' 2-1 title win.
"It honestly feels like a dream," Mauro said. "It does not feel real. It happened so fast. Honestly, I don't know why, but I anticipated it being hit off the crossbar. It's just happened sometimes, and I anticipated and good things happened."
Briarcliff entered as the top seed, but third-seeded Croton-Harmon pushed the Bears every single step of the way.
"It's an honor," Briarcliff goalkeeper Karina Bar said of bringing back the first section title in 14 years. "I could not ask for a better night. I feel incredible, this is the best senior year anyone could ever ask for. I'm never going to forget this night."
The Bears had started the season 2-4, but flipped a switch after a tough road loss to rival Pleasantville on Sept. 22. They haven't lost since, and they hope to keep their unbeaten streak going, as they prepare for more challenges at the state level.
"After that (loss), I told the girls they're a good team, and at first they didn't believe that," Briarcliff coach David Villalobos said. "(Assistant coach) Lauren Pesce and I had to convince the girls, and they started putting more trust in each other. We started doing different things on the field, working on different things on the training pitch, and that just boosted our confidence. After that, everything just changed on a great roll."
Croton-Harmon took an early lead, as Lucia Thoreson put one away to give the Tigers the lead with 22:40 remaining in the match.
The Tigers withstood early offensive pressure from the Bears, and started stringing together solid attacks during the second half and in overtime.
A foul in the box allowed Briarcliff a chance to tie the game, and Sora Marable converted on a penalty kick with less than 10 minutes to go.
The Tigers appeared to have the go-ahead goal shortly after, but the refs disallowed the scoring play and waved off the goal due to an apparent handball. The game went into an intense back-and-forth overtime, which would eventually be resolved in the second overtime period.
"Two championship teams out there, and unfortunately for us, we didn't have the final goal at the last second, but what a wonderful effort and a wonderful job by both teams and what a job by our girls to step up," Croton coach Winston McKoy said. "Nobody thought we would be here, and I let them know from the beginning of the year that we a special team and we're gonna go far and shock the world. We didn't a chance to shock all of New York State, but we shocked everyone in Section 1, and we're gonna keep doing it. Next year, we're gonna come back and be right here again."
What it means
The Bears win their first Section 1 Class B title since 2009. They will play the Section 9 champion in the NYSPHSAA Class B regional semifinals at Wallkill High School on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.
Briarcliff is now unbeaten through its last 12 matches.
Game ball
Jillian Mauro, Briarcliff: She had the game-winning heroics and netted the decisive golden goal early in the second overtime period.
By the numbers
No. 1 Briarcliff (13-4-1): Karina Bar made three saves. Sora Marable had the game-tying penalty kick goal with 9:41 remaining, which would help push the game into overtime.
No. 3 Croton-Harmon (10-5-2): Emily Adler was admirable in goal and finished with nine saves. Lucia Thoreson scored for the Tigers.
They said it
"I told my seniors that we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them, and they have to keep their heads up because there's a hundred fans out there that love them, and they should love what we did and how far we got," McKoy said of his Tigers. "I told them to also make sure they have some fun after tonight."
"We started the year a little shaky because we have a relatively new team," Bar said. "The seniors and the captains did a good job of taking the younger ones in, and our team chemistry is just amazing this year. I love everyone on this team and that bond really contributed to this win."
"We all came together and clicked, and this is what happens," Mauro added.
Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Girls soccer: Briarcliff outlasts Croton-Harmon in 2OT finals thriller
