The Courier-News from Bridgewater, New Jersey • Page 11

'G-foree5 defenders I Rutgers safeties Courtney Greene and Ron Girault have brotherly relationship. Page B-3. Courier News sa WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2006 SECTION jj hor live sports scores and stats, send text message with TEAM or PLAYER NAME (e.g. Vince Carter) to 44636 (4INF0) Oh Hi nJl I I 7-Rutgers at Cincinnati, p.m. Saturday, ESPN STATE TOURNAMENT BOYS SOCCER SCORES STATE TOURNAMENT GIRLS SOCCER SCORES North Hunterdon 1, Kearny 0 Haddonfield 3, Somerville 1 Pingry 1, Christian Brothers Academy 0 Bernards 2, Ramsey 1 (4-2 penalty kicks) West Orange 4, Bridgewater-Raritan 1 Fan wood 0 Haddonfield 3, Somerville 0 Pingry wins state title on rare goal by Fechter THIS WEEK'S CYBER SURVEY What is the biggest college football rivalry? A.

Ohio State-Michigan B. Army-Navy C. Alabama-Auburn D. Pittsburgh-West Virginia E. Southern California-UCLA To register your vote visit our Web site: WWW.G-N.COM Results published in Sunday's section championship-game victory over Christian Brothers Academy.

rechter hrst-halt goal stood up in the Big Blue's 1-0 victory at The College of New Jersey. "When she (Sarah Kimber) hugged me after the game I was like, 1 got your said Fechter, who has scored two goals this season. This is the Big Blue's first state title since 2001 and their fourth overall. "It's amazing because we haven't done it in, like, six years. And we have guys like Brian Sellinger, who B3YS SCCCER NON-PUBLIC A FINAL PINGRY 1 CHRISTIAN BROS.

ACAD. 0 so much heart to the table," senior defender Richard Bradley said. Fechter's goal came in the 23rd 1 Ramapo 1, Scotch Plains minute off a pass from senior defender Austin Lan. "I saw Austin pick up his head," Fechter said, "and play me the ball. I just trapped it and the ball popped up real nice.

I saw the goalie in the middle of the goal and kicked it as hard as I could." Scoring opporunities were rare for the rest of the game despite Pingry being in control of the ball for most of it. Christian Brothers Academy's big chance came a minute into the second half when Pingry senior With Kearny dominating possessions, playing most of the contest in the North Hunterdon zone including the entire first six minutes of the game the Lions made the most of their third shot on goal of the first half. Senior Lauren Musumeci took a restart near the 25-yard line and fed senior Meg Droelle, who shot the ball toward the net. But while Droelle's shot was off line, it went right to Irwin, who settled and blasted a one-timer past Kearny keeper Jennifer Pettigrew, who had come out of the net to defend Droelle's attempt. For Irwin, who didn't join the squad until its 10th game of the season, this wasn't her first game-winning goal, but she might never score one in a bigger spot.

See NORTH, Page B-5 By MELISSA CHODAN Staff Writer EWING Sophomore midfielder Matt Fechter was tired of hearing the same question over and over from friends and parents, including teammate Kim Kimber's mom, Sarah Kimber, who has been asking since early October: "When are you going to score?" He finally answered it Tuesday in the The Pingry School's New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Non-Public A boys soccer BOYS SOCCER GROUP IV SEMIFINALS WEST ORANGE 4 BRIDGEWATER-RARITAN 1 B'water-Rar. succumbs to opportunistic By JASON SHERMAN Staff Writer WARREN The Bridgewater-Raritan High School boys soccer team was beaten by its own game Tuesday. The Panthers, who thrived all season on a fast-paced offense, were countered by a very similar style. The result was a 4-1 loss to North Jersey Section 1 champion West Orange in the Group IV semifinals at Watchung Hills High School. Tm proud of how my kids did," Bridgewater-Raritan coach Rick Szeles said.

"But they're a very skilled team." Bridgewater-Raritan never was able to get its offense going, as it put just two shots on goal. Some of it was because of Panthers errors, but most of it could be attributed to the skilled players of West Orange. West Orange senior Bryan Martinez scored two goals, one in each half, while Jonathan Silba added a goal. Six minutes into the first half, West Orange scored on a key mistake by Bridgewater-Raritan. Senior Chris Christian was awarded a throw-in and heaved it 25 yards right at Panthers goalkeeper Sam Callari.

Callari misplayed the ball and senior Austin Alvarado headed it in to put West Orange up 1-0. West Orange received a gift with eight minutes remaining in the first half as Bridgewater-Raritan headed a ball back toward its own goal. Silba was right there, taking the ball and drilling a shot past Sec PANTHERS, PageB-4 west Orange keeper Grant Schonberg was pulled out of goal on an approaching play. The ball was deflected to a CBA for an easy shot, but Kim Kimber, a senior striker, moved into the goal and deflected it with his chest "We worked as a whole, defensively, all season. We shut down a lot of the bigger kids in the state," Bradley said.

Pingry had a chance with 14:50 left, with Eric Hynes placing a shot wide after the Big Blue worked the See PINGRY, Page B-4 B3YS SOCCER GROUP II SEMIFINALS BERNARDS RAMSEY Mountaineers advance with 4-2 edge in penalty kicks Ety HARRY FREZZA JR. Staff Writer BRIDGEWATER For the first time since 1989, Bernards High School's boys soccer team is headed for the state group tide game. The Mountaineers (19-2) won in penalty kicks 4-2 over Ramsey in the Group II semifinal Tuesday night at Basilone Field. Regulation ended 1-1 as Bernards senior forward David Arce scored with 25:40 left in the second half before Ramsey tied it with 9:16 remaining on a shot by Billy Patterson. Senior middie Ozzie Martinez, Arce, senior defender Alvaro Gonzalez and senior defender Richard RussoniellO delivered the penalty kicks for Bernards, and senior keeper Kevin Gentile made a stop on Patterson on Ramsey's second shot.

The victory was sealed after Russoniello beat keeper Mike Mazzeo, then Ramsey's Nobu Ya-manashi's shot floated wide left. "It's up for grabs. It's verv nervewracking," Bernards coach Joe LaSpada said of penalty kicks. "We have lost PKs. It's a rotten way to lose because both teams played their hearts out" The Mountaineers' 19 victories are a program record, according to LaSpada, who has coached Bernards since 1983.

Bernards will face Haddonfield in the state group final at 4 p.m. Saturday at Hillsborough High School's Noonan Field. LaSpada was coach in 1989 when the Mountaineers beat See BERNARDS, Page B-5 Bemardsgains spotinfirstti match since '89 TYLER BARRICKCOURIER NEWS North Hunterdon High School girls soccer players Hilary Murray, left, and Ginnie Lee celebrate with teammates after Tuesday night's 1-0 victory over Kearny In the Group IV semifinals at Watchung Hills High School in Warren. ii rui illn BROUGHT TO YOU Y- Somerset MEDICAL CEN1T.R Sports Performance and Rehabilitation Center somers4tsportsperforiTianc8.com Patriots sign FOXBOROUGH, Mass (AP)- Vinny Testaverde, who came out of retirement last season to help out the New York Jets, was signed Tuesday by New England. The move came after the Patriots lost two straight for the first time since 2002 as Tom Brady who has a sore throwing shoulder played two of his poorest games.

Until signing Testaverde, New England had only one other quarterback on its roster, second-year pro Matt Cassel. Testaverde, who turned 43 Monday, was the first overall pick by Tampa Bay in the 1987 draft. He has played 19 NFL seasons and has 269 touchdown passes, eighth in NFL history, and is sixth with 45,252 yards passing. AD: Knight did nothing wrong LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) Texas Tech coach Bob Knight says there were times he was wrong when his hot temper got the best of him on a basketball court. Not this time, however.

This time, everyone from the player he confronted to the player's mother and school officials say what Knight did was no big deal. It all started Monday night when Knight went after Michael Prince, forcefully pushing his chin upward and telling him to look him in the eye, during a timeout late in the Red Raiders' 86-74 victory over Gardner-Webb. Athletic director Gerald Myers defended Knight on Tuesday, saying he did nothing wrong when he "quickly Lifted" Prince's chin. The president of the school's faculty senate, James H. Smith, said Knight's action was not "physical abuse or violence." HOWTOREACHUS You can e-mail us at call Dave Siminoff, sports editor, at (908) 707-3157 or fax us at (908) 707-3273.

THISSECT10N Designed and edited by Dave Siminoff and Tom Rvsinski. Bring us AUTHORIZED DEALER last Crntral NISSAN late fim rai Don GiLSSSCCER GROUP IV SEMIFINALS NORTH HUNTERDON 1 KEARNY 0 lege of New Jersey in Ewing. The Vikings beat previously undefeated Steinert 1-0 Tuesday. "I knew we had the potential," said North Hunterdon coach Garrett Lelko, whose team was 10-8 when the postseason began and seeded fourth in North Jersey, Section 2, Group IV. "You never know.

The whole thing was, 'Let's get Right now, we're just Cinderella, and we're crashing the ball." By SIMEON PINCUS Staff Writer WARREN The North Hunterdon High School girls soccer team has had an unlikely run through theNew Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Group PTournament. And Tuesday at Watchung Hills High School, the Lions' season was extended, thanks to an unlikely source. Sophomore forward Jess Irwin, who began the year on the junior varsity team, scored with 2:37 remaining in the first half and North Hunterdon advanced to the Group IV state championship game with a 1-0 victory over Kearny at Watchung HLUs High School's Tozi-er Field. The Lions will face South Jersey champion Eastern Regional for the Group IV tide Saturday at The Col- 46 ROUTE 22 MY Nissan Dealer's and We'll Beat their PRIOLMARMTEEDU grM'M'kf' mil mmmmBB, WEST 866-773-0000 www.NissanWorIdSpringficld.coM Includes Red Bank, Denville and Springfield stores. PBRWSm RUSSm POLISH I TURKISH!.