KINNELON _ How do you keep a Cinderella Team from dancing at a soccer tournament? The best way may be to launch plenty of pumpkins at it.
Kinnelon's offensive barrage was too much for upstart Parsippany Hills on Sunday, Oct. 6. The Colts scored six second-half goals on the way to an 8-1 rout of the Vikings in opening-round Morris County Girls Soccer Tournament play.
Sophomore midfielder Ida DiClemente scored twice and her sister, senior forward Ingrid DiClemente, also scored a pair of goals for Kinnelon, which will face Morris Catholic in the quarterfinal round. The third-seeded Crusaders dispatched Montville, 3-1.
The day saw most of the favorites advance with defending champion Villa Walsh the lone exception. Those Vikings were toppled by Mount Olive in a 1-0 overtime game.
Nathalia Gallo's corner kick goal was the lone score for 21st-seeded Parsippany Hills. The Vikings advanced with a preliminary-round win over Morris Hills last week. It is the second consecutive year that Kinnelon eliminated Parsippany Hills in the MCT.
Kinnelon, the sixth seed, wanted to make sure there was little chance of a tournament upset. With an constant drizzle and deteriorating grass field conditions, practically anything could happen if an opponent was kept in the game.
"We needed to shut them down quick," DiClemente said. "In the past, they have come back after goals have been scored on them. It was really important for us to keep putting them away."
Back-to-back goals by DiClemente and teammate Casey Gray in the 21st and 22nd minute gave the Colts an early lead that they built upon for the rest of the contest. Gray assisted the sophomore midfielder for the opening goal of the game.
"Casey was coming down the sideline and she cut in," DiClemente said. "I ran behind the defender. She slid the ball through and I placed it in the left corner with my right foot."
Gray is known for her hustling play. She took advantage of a drop in the Vikings' spirits. Pouncing on a loose ball, she scrambled to the goal and quickly made it a 2-0 game.
"Her goal was good," DiClemente said. "It really set the team off."
The Colts put the game away with a barrage of shots on Parsippany Hills' keeper Rochelle Blair. A Taylor Coutts volley that deflected off a Parsippany Hills defender in the 47th minute made it 3-0. Ida DiClemente's header off a Emily Thiem corner kick about a minute later made it 4-0. Ingrid DiClemente's first score in the 52nd minute was matched by Gallo's corner kick goal for the Vikings.
Consecutive scores by Thiem and sophomore midfielder Julia Kleczkowski eventually followed. The most picturesque may have been the last one. Ingrid DiClemente drilled an open shot into the top left corner from about 20 yards out to complete the scoring in the final minutes.