Live updates from the Bergen County girls soccer tournament quarterfinals

The top four will be the final four in the Bergen County girls soccer tournament.

The favorites took care of business in the quarterfinals on Sunday with No. 1 Ridgewood, No. 2 Ramapo, No. 3 Immaculate Heart and No. 4 Northern Highlands all advancing at Mahwah High School.

Familiarity will be a running theme next weekend at River Dell. The Maroons will look to beat Northern Highlands for the third time this season, while Ramapo will try to replicate a 1-0 win over Immaculate Heart from back on Opening Day.

Here's a closer look at each team that advanced to the semifinals.

Northern Highlands survives a thriller

The final game of the night turned out to be the most physical and frenetic one of them all.

Northern Highlands went up on a Julia Buono penalty kick midway through the second half and made it stick, holding on for a 1-0 victory over No. 5 Ramsey. It was their first meeting since the quarterfinal round last year when Ramsey won by a goal.

By avenging that loss, Northern Highlands (8-3) punched its ticket to the semifinal for the first time in five years.

"It definitely put some oil in the fire a little bit," goalie Natalie Gonzalez said. "We channeled the emotions that we felt last year. We never want to feel like that again."

The turning point in the match came with 21:35 to go when Ramsey was called for a handball in the box. Buono stepped up to the line and hit a clean shot to the top right corner.

Her mentality leading up to the biggest goal of her career?

"You just don't even think about it," Buono said. "Take a deep breath and shoot. Find a corner. I had some confidence and wanted to step up and take it."

That was all Northern Highlands needed to drop Ramsey from the list of unbeatens. There was plenty of tension in the final two minutes, though, between disputes over the clock and a yellow card on the Highlanders goalie for illegally touching the ball.

But in the end, the Highlanders held on for their second straight shutout with a back line led by outside backs Audrey and Emerson Campbell and central defenders Cassidy Gallagher and Makayla Nirchio.

"I think this was a really intense game on both ends," coach Tara Madigan said. "I thought the level of play, the competitiveness, the decision-making was all at a high level. I think it was an exciting game to watch for any fan."

Immaculate Heart stays patient

Before this year, Claire Donohoe spent fall weekends as a cheerleader at IHA. This season, she's the starting right back on one of the premier soccer teams in the state.

Donohoe scored an insurance goal and helped shut down the opposition as the Blue Eagles blanked No. 6 Pascack Valley, 3-0, in their quarterfinal match. Caitlin Forshay and Maddy Hayes chipped in a goal apiece to lead IHA to its sixth straight victory.

Donohoe, a senior from Cliffside Park, isn't a typical rookie, having played defense on her club team last season.

"I didn't realize the bond that there was between the girls (at Immaculate Heart)," Donohoe said. "I really didn't know what I was getting into. I came to play and I've been dying to play. I love it."

It took some time for the Blue Eagles to find the offensive firepower that brought a state title to Washington Township last year. Pascack Valley was able to frustrate them by using a compact formation with Allie Polyniak as the lone forward.

The Blue Eagles finally broke through in the 35th minute when Forshay took a layoff from forward Alex Barry, who was a gametime decision (ankle). Donohoe doubled the lead with 16:18 left by creeping up from the back and hitting a high, sharp angle shot.

"They plugged the midfield on us so we had to find ways to bypass it a little bit," coach Eric Pfeifer said. "I think our most important players today were our outside backs (Donohoe and Samantha McGee). Those were the players with time and space. Once their decision-making became quick and crisp, that's when we became quick and crisp."

Ramapo takes care of business

The streak lives on for the Raiders, who are back in the Bergen County semis for the 20th consecutive tournament.

Some slick ball movement and stubborn defense were the winning formula for coach Maddie Gibbs this time.

Senior goalie Bridget Carr collected a clean sheet for the fifth time in seven games to lift Ramapo past seventh-seeded Glen Rock, 3-0.

Protecting the crease were outside backs Kaitlyn Arnold and Ashley DeLeo along with Monica Mosquera and Maddie Sexton in the center.

"Glen Rock was a great opponent," Gibbs said. "They are super-competitive and we anticipated that. We knew that they had some key forwards and a good goalie. They stood very strong today. We're looking to connect a little bit more going forward and be ready right off the bat."

Ramapo pulled ahead in the first half with goals from Mary Grusser in the 20th minute and Kate Langfelder in the 40th, then added insurance on an own goal late in the second half.

The sophomore Grusser drilled in the winner on a crisp shot to the right corner.

"She got a couple minutes in the state final last season and it proved that she could be a key role player this year," Gibbs said. "She works to go and move with speed. That's what we like to do. We have a fast-paced offense at Ramapo. But she can also get her head up and find someone open in the middle or a far post run coming on."

Ridgewood rolls closer to history

Ridgewood coach Pete Kay was happy to see some sunlight and an early lead at his back.

North Jersey's soccer vagabonds exploded for three early goals and never loosened their grip in the opening game at Mahwah High School. Karen Gessman, Lucia Mastellone and Peyton Rhoo all scored to send the Maroons past ninth-seeded Old Tappan, 3-0, to continue their chase for a three-peat.

While the Maroons (8-0-2) are still unbeaten this season, not everything has come easy this fall. Ridgewood has been a team without a home for about two weeks after their stadium field was submerged with water.

"Fortunately, neighboring schools have helped us a little bit," said Kay, who lined up some practices at Indian Hills.

"We've been using grass fields in Ridgewood in our middle school and elementary school. Yesterday we had a session at our elementary school in the rain. So basically anywhere we can practice. But that will never be an excuse for us."

This was the second meeting this season between Ridgewood and Old Tappan after playing to a draw one soggy Saturday in September.

This time, the Maroons went up in the fourth minute when Gessman split through the defense on a slick pass from Miami commit Jessica Kaye. Ridgewood doubled its lead in the 10th minute when Mastellone volleyed in a rebound after Kaye's initial shot was parried away.

The Ridgewood midfield, led by Gessman, Isabella Winn and Alexandra Winnert, hemmed in Old Tappan for long stretches and squashed out any chance at a comeback.

“I just think whenever you play against a solid team like Old Tappan, you always want to come out with a good mentality and a good intensity,” Kay said. “I think the early goal definitely helped settle us down.”

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Bergen County girls soccer: Live updates, takeaways from quarterfinals