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Nation's top girls soccer team has unbeaten streak snapped at 88 games

The seniors on Immaculate Heart (N.J.) Academy's soccer team have a lot to celebrate today. Just as their high school soccer careers are winding down, they finally beat their toughest foe – something no team has done since 2010.

Northern Highlands (N.J.) came into the county final as the top-ranked team in most national polls. It had an 88-game unbeaten streak going, the longest in N.J. history.

"Snapping the streak, being the ones to snap it, it means the most," Alex Mesropyan told the Bergen Record. "They're a great team. We knew they were going to come out hard. So did we. I'm just happy we won this time."

Northern Highlands beat IHA for the title in 2012. IHA then snapped Northern Highlands' 65-game winning streak in last year's county final, with the game ending in a 1-1 tie. When the rankings aligned for a rematch this year, IHA didn't let the opportunity slip away.

IHA's Rebecca Jarrett put the Blue Eagles on the board first, scoring with about seven minutes left in the first half. Senior forward Mesropyan had the assist.

Northern Highlands senior Hana Kerner evened the score just two minutes later. Kerner had a chance to put her team ahead just before the half, but IHA goalie Taylor Lupi came up with a big save.

The game stayed tied through most of the second half, until Mesropyan netted the go-ahead goal with 6:26 to play.

With the 2-1 win, IHA took the top spot in the NJ.com top 20, the first time Northern Highlands was suplanted since 2011. Both teams will be looking for a state title, with Northern Highlands back in action on Nov. 5 and IHA on Nov. 7.

Update: This article originally cited a USA Today story saying Northern Highlands held the longest win streak in the nation. It had the longest current streak, but as a reader alerted Yahoo Sports, St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) holds the national record of 119 straight wins (1994-1998) and a 158-game unbeaten streak (1994-2001). 

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Danielle Elliot is the editor of Prep Rally for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at delliot@yahoo-inc.com or follow her on Twitter!

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