FRANKLIN LAKES, NJ — Five years of Ramapo reign over Bergen County soccer ended on Saturday, and Demarest ended it. Behind a 30th-minute goal from Yiannis Parikos and another suffocating defensive performance, No. 12 seed Demarest stunned No. 4 Ramapo 1-0 in the county quarterfinals at Ramapo High School, reaching the semifinals for the first time in at least two decades.
THE GOAL THAT TOPPLED A DYNASTY
The game's only goal came in the 30th minute. Senior midfielder Mathieu Brun won possession in the attacking half and slipped a pass down the right side to Parikos, whose shot caromed off a defender and over the goalkeeper — his seventh goal of the season. It was a fortunate bounce, and Demarest had earned its fortune: the Norsemen had already shown this season they could trouble Ramapo, losing just 2-1 in the teams' first meeting.
From there, the defense took over — as it has all tournament. Junior goalkeeper Danny Scuro made six saves, including a brave race off his line in the 70th minute to break up a Ramapo breakaway and a hand on a dangerous corner kick in the closing seconds. Demarest has not conceded a single goal through three Bergen County Tournament games, with center backs Rotem Raviv and Selah Gier anchoring the effort in front of Scuro.
There was a personal layer, too: Demarest coach Rob Romeo learned the game from Ramapo coach Evan Baumgarten, his former youth coach, and beat his mentor on the county's biggest stage. At 12-3 with three straight tournament shutouts, Demarest now faces top-seeded Bergen Catholic in the semifinals — and after Saturday, nobody should be surprised by anything this team does next.
Game details compiled from published box scores.