By, Jake Karp

Verona’s magical run continues after clawing their way to the finish line in yet another thrilling upset victory for the Hillbillies. 

This game was one for the ages, with both teams proving to be equally matched, despite the disparity in seeding. While New Providence dominated possession throughout the game and outshot Verona by a wide margin, the underdog, Verona capitalized on their limited opportunities, which was enough to keep them in the game.

Neither team held an edge for most of the first half until a last-second goal by Joseph Houck gave Verona a 1-0 lead going into halftime. Less than a sixty seconds into the second half, the Hillbillies extended their lead with a fast break goal by Dean Rizzi, deflating the Pioneer crowd who now trailed 2-0. However, the momentum quickly shifted as New Providence mounted a commanding comeback. The rally started with a sliding goal from Matthew Schmidt, who led the Mountain Division with 24 goals this season, and was quickly followed by Lorenzo Serrajotto, who scored the equalizer for his 12th score of the year. 

The remainder of the second half and the overtime period saw both teams fiercely battling for that elusive third goal. While New Providence unleashed shot after shot and appeared to be in control, they ultimately couldn’t find the back of the net. Verona’s Goalkeeper Joe Farmer put on an absolute clinic, recording 10 saves and serving as the defensive anchor for a Hillbilly squad that relied on every bit of his clutch efforts to narrowly come away with the win.

“I just stayed calm, I trusted my defenders, they had a lot of blocks in overtime,” Farmer said after the game. He recorded a season-high 10 saves in today’s win. 

After a scoreless overtime, the Pioneers ran out of gas and the momentum shifted again as Verona took control, putting up 3 unanswered goals in the Penalty Shootout to seal the deal in this thriller.

“As we entered the state tournament, we were all saying how we love a Cinderella story…so we were very excited,” Verona’s Dean Rizzi said, looking ahead to the championship game. The Hillbillies won the (Section 1, Group 1) NJSIAA Championship back in 2016.

Despite the disappointing finish, New Providence enjoyed their best season since 2018, finishing 5th in the UCC with a 13-6 overall record under head coach Craig Barclay.

Meanwhile, Verona, led by eighth-year head coach Jack Weber, are currently 11-6 (9th in SEC) and are no strangers to overcoming the underdog status. The Hillbillies have now won three consecutive tournament games as the lower seed, and will aim for a fourth in the Championship on Friday hosted by top-seeded Glen Ridge–a familiar opponent who knocked out Verona in the 2021 NJSIAA Semi-Final