The Rams beat the Mendham Minutemen 2-1 at home on Senior Day, Saturday, Sept. 14. This brings their season record to 2-2, after suffering tough losses to both West Morris and Chatham.
The game began with a ceremony honoring the seniors and their families. This included gift baskets and posters from fellow teammates and a walk down the field accompanied by their parents and siblings. This gave the seniors a chance to reminisce about their favorite memories from the program.
The seniors this season include captains Rebecca Dasti, Morgan Heller, Lindsey Bona and Kayla Pentz, along with Devon Helmer, Jessa Altemose and Hayley Ross.
“My favorite part of the senior ceremony was getting to walk with my parents,” Dasti stated. “This was special to me because they have been my biggest supporters these past 4 years.”
The game started with high energy, and the stands were packed with friends and family cheering for the senior starting lineup. Although Mendham fought hard, Randolph stayed strong and persevered. Randolph earned two offensive corners in this quarter but was unable to secure a goal, keeping the score at 0-0.
In the second quarter, Mendham played strong offensively, but the strength of Randolph’s defense warded off any goal attempts. However, at eight minutes, Mendham got an offensive corner and scored after a tough fight. The Rams were still able to bounce back quickly, and junior Daniella Gizienski and Pentz were able to bring up the ball, working together, and kept it in the middle for the rest of the quarter.
“At first I was very nervous, especially since Mendham scored the first goal, but we controlled the game most of the time, so I was confident in my team to score,” Bona stated.
Altemose, the senior goalie, played impressive defense with seven saves in this game alone. The game took a pivotal turn in the third quarter when Pentz scored off a beautifully executed offensive corner, leveling the score.
With just seven minutes remaining in a nail-biting game, as both teams fought vigorously for the win, junior Jillian Liebhauser hit the ball off the post and scored, putting the Rams in the lead and securing a final score of 2-1.
“I think the team played great,” Heller stated. “Everyone who stepped on the field contributed to this win and played their hearts out for the seniors.”
Up next, the Rams face Morristown, today, Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 4:00 p.m.
