Delbarton Pushes Past Glen Ridge in Season Opener, 13-6

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Wednesday, March 19th, the reigning Group 1 state champion, Glen Ridge, traveled to Morristown, NJ, to take on a highly ranked Delbarton squad on its home field to open the 2026 spring season. Both fan bases came out in full force to cheer on their respective teams in this high-energy matchup.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was a pretty evenly matched first frame, with Glen Ridge senior JP LaBadia opening up the scoring by beating his matchup from X to take an early lead. The Ridgers packed it in and played a zone defense, which led to a few missed shots early from the Green Wave, but they were able to find their rhythm offensively. Senior attackman [player_tooltip player_id='37831' first='Jack' last='Sheridan'] (Bucknell) tallied his first goal on the day off a slick inside-roll from goal-line extended to tie the game and then junior midfielder [player_tooltip player_id='121825' first='Brandon' last='Fodor'] (Johns Hopkins) found senior line-mate [player_tooltip player_id='25528' first='Christian' last='Troczynski'] (Cornell) for a goal with under five seconds remaining in the quarter to take the lead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the 2nd quarter, Delbarton got off to a hot start with [player_tooltip player_id='121825' first='Brandon' last='Fodor'], Chase Houser (High Point) and [player_tooltip player_id='37831' first='Jack' last='Sheridan'] all tallying a goal to extend their lead to four, before Glen Ridge junior Dixon Atkinson turned a hard ride into his first goal of the season. With the clock winding down in the first half, freshman Matt Pereira finished strong on a doorstep buzzer-beater goal to give the Ridgers some momentum heading into the break, cutting the lead to 5-3.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>To start the 2nd half, following a turnover by the Green Wave, Atkinson cashed in his 2nd goal of the day on a fast break chance, but Delbarton pushed back with goals coming from upperclassmen [player_tooltip player_id='143636' first='Matthew' last='Good'] (Lehigh) and [player_tooltip player_id='17442' first='Pierce' last='Bolger'] (Brown), until senior attackman Stephen Grober (Vassar) found the back of the net on another fast break chance for the Ridgers. Delbarton's Sheridan, Houser, and Bolger each tallied another goal before the end of the quarter to take what felt like a commanding 10-5 lead. To this point, junior FOGO [player_tooltip player_id='143645' first='Kane' last='Quenault'] (Notre Dame) had been perfect from the X, controlling the tempo and helping Delbarton dominate time of possession, while junior netminder Matty McGinty had stayed sharp between the pipes for this squad.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the final frame, Glen Ridge junior goaltender [player_tooltip player_id='129347' first='Keiller' last='Goodwin'] made a few timely saves to keep his team in the fight, until Fodor found Sheridan for his fourth goal of the day on a step-down rip, and then Fodor took it himself on a sweet split-dodge and finished with a stinger in the top corner. Glen Ridge senior midfielder Jimmy Benson answered as he finished tough through contact, recording his first goal of the year, but on a late man-up opportunity, Houser connected with senior Luke McLane on a cut inside to put the final nail in the coffin.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Ridgers will look to bounce back on Wednesday, March 25th, when they play host to Glen Rock, while the Green Wave will look to continue their early success in their first out-of-state matchup of the year on Saturday, March 21st, as they will be traveling to Pennsylvania to take on Haverford.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["143645"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69bbf6c5f3ae4"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Quenault was unstoppable in this matchup as he finished perfect on the day, winning all 13 attempts at the X and making it look easy against Glen Ridge junior FOGO Rory Winnick. He stayed aggressive off the whistle, displaying quick reaction time and the ability to control the ball and pop it out in any direction, while also utilizing his wings when needed. When he did not win it clean, the Notre Dame commit used his 6-foot frame and lower-body strength to box out his matchup for possession. He looked to be a threat offensively, registering one shot that was off-target, but he did not put the ball in turnover scenarios. Instead, he made good decisions with the rock and let his offense control the ball and the clock. It will be fun to watch Quenault's progression through the year for Delbarton.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["37831"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69bbf6c5f3b46"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sheridan had a great showing in this season opener, totaling four goals and an assist, and stayed aggressive and assertive with and without the ball to keep the defense on their toes. Early in the game, when the Green Wave were looking to figure out the Ridgers' zone D, Sheridan worked upfield and then rolled back underneath for a good angle, and then also tallied a goal on a man-up opportunity on the crease. He also took advantage of late rotations by the zone defenders for a pair of smooth step-down goals and also worked as a playmaker from X, finding Houser on an inside cut. The Bucknell commit looks like he will play a pivotal role in the Green Wave's offensive plans this season, and it should be exciting to watch him work.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["129347"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69bbf6c5f3b8d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Goodwin stood strong between the pipes for Glen Ridge in a losing effort, while tallying north of 20 saves and seeing a high volume of shots from skilled shooters for Delbarton. He stonewalled opponents on the doorstep multiple times, displaying quick hands and a good instinct in cage. He did not spoil easy save chances and made his opponents earn every goal, and saw the ball well out of the stick. Goodwin did a great job of controlling the rock after saves, not letting it pop out to the crease for a rebound, and served up crisp outlet passes in the clearing game. When a fast break opportunity presented itself, he took the chance, and when there was nothing, he worked methodically upfield and used his defenders for help. While it wasn't a win, Goodwin made every play possible to keep his team in this game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->