RKA soccer suffers first loss in final

Samantha Rosette stood near midfield, her hands on her knees, as reality began to set in. Moments earlier Rosette and the rest of her David A. Stein Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy M.S./H.S. 141, RKA) Lady Tigers saw their dream of a city championship squashed in a 3-2 loss to Baruch College Campus High School at St. John’s University. 

Other Lady Tigers stood with their hands on their heads, stunned at the final score, as they walked slowly to the sidelines. It had been more than a calendar year since RKA had suffered a defeat and with a Public School Athletic League (PSAL) title on the line, this was not the time or place the Lady Tigers wanted to endure their first loss of the season.

But a hat trick by Baruch’s Daniela Zirpolo gave the Blue Devils an early 3-0 lead and it was just enough as Baruch held off an RKA rally and held on for the title-clinching victory that saw RKA’s dream season come to an end.

“There were a lot of tears on the sideline after the game,” Rosette said. “And watching the postgame [award] ceremony was probably the hardest part.”

RKA (18-1) came into the game as the No. 2 seed in the PSAL soccer tournament and was armed with Rosette, the leading goal scorer in New York State. So hopes were understandably high for a city title coming to Riverdale this season.

But Baruch (18-0-1), and particularly Zirpolo, didn’t seem intimidated by RKA as the Blue Devils jumped out to a 1-0 lead with Zirpolo’s first goal in the ninth minute for a 1-0 lead. It marked the first time all season RKA had ever trailed in a game.

Baruch kept the heat on and when Zirpolo converted on a penalty shot for a goal in the 12th minute and when she added her third score in the 27th minute, the Lady Tigers were in unchartered territory and in need for an offensive fix.

And they got just that when Rosette scored her 53rd goal of the season in the 29th minute to trim the RKA deficit to 3-1. And when RKA scored again — this time on a goal by freshman Natalie Aracena off an assist by Rosette — in the 30th minute, it looked like momentum was firmly on RKA’s side.