Sunday,
September 8, 2013
By Cory K. Doviak
NJS.com Editorial Director
|
|
Emily Crevani scored the first goal of the game and the first of the season for Old Tappan, which topped Pascack Valley, 2-1. |
HILLSDALE – Pascack Valley's girls soccer team has just three returning starters from last year while Northern Valley/Old Tappan lost its top scorer to graduation and had two freshmen in its starting lineup on Opening Day, a road game in Hillsdale. Both teams figure to be good this season as they are two of the most consistent winners in Bergen County, but the schedule maker left no time to ease the younger sides into the new season. They met on Saturday morning for not only their first games of the year, but also one that will surely make a difference in the league title race.
Pascack Valley showed its inexperience when it gave up two goals in the first 12 minutes, while the Golden Knights might need some time to figure out how to close out games. Both sides now know what they need to work on going forward, but Old Tappan will get to do so with a win already under its belt as it held on for a 2-1 win on the turf pitch behind Pascack Valley High School.
“We knew that Pascack Valley was young but we are, too. We had two freshman starters [Amanda Tripodi and Kelly Walsh] and a couple of sophomores out there. We are a young team and when you have that type of mix, this is what you get,” said Old Tappan head coach Tom Quinn. “We talked about getting the third goal to try to put away a good team and we didn't get it. Instead, they score and it was a tough game right down to the end.”
|
Amelia Della Pesca scored the lone Pascack Valley goal midway through the second half. |
In the beginning it looked like it might be a blowout as sophomore striker Emily Crevani took possession of a throw-in deep on the left flank and made a diagonal run at the goal. Crevani, the Knights' leading returning scorer, got her first goal of the season to make it 1-0 just five minutes into the game off an assist from freshman striker Amanda Tripodi.
Last season as a freshman Crevani was able to slot in behind leading scorer Raba Nasif (now playing at Steven's Technical Institute) and take advantage of the space created when defenses paid attention elsewhere. This year, Crevani will not be able to sneak up on anyone as she is the marked attacker.
“Raba took a lot of the pressure off last year because defenses knew that they couldn't leave her alone. That helped me a lot and hopefully this year I can open up some things for other players like Amanda [Tripodi]. She is a freshman striker and she is going to be really good,” said Crevani. “ I think I could have played better today. I got the first goal, but I missed other chances that could have made it a little easier for us.”
Senior midfielder Dana Li got the second off an assist from Crevani, finishing with her left foot to make it 2-0 with just over 11 minutes played in the game. It looked like the Golden Knights might be on their way to a route as they held Pascack Valley to just a couple of looks at the goal through the first half and even had luck on their side.
|
Amanda Tripodi is one of two freshmen in Old Tappan's starting lineup. |
With just under 19 minutes to go in the first half, PV's Rachel Kearney took possession near the center stripe and took off on a determined run up the right side. Kearney blew past a challenge near the edge of the penalty box and hit a slicing rip with her right foot that was on its way into the roof of the goal before it clanged off the crossbar. Old Tappan keeper Mary Katherine Brosnan made a nice stop at the far post off a corner kick just before the halftime whistle to make sure that the Knights went off with a 2-0 lead at the break.
When the teams came back out, it was a whole different story. A save midway through the second half by Pascack Valley keeper Kimberley Pane seemed to get the Indians started. Crevani had gotten her shoulder past the last defender and was charging into the box when Pane came out to meet her and, in full slide, got here left glove up in time. Crevani was just wide with her rebound attempt and in the next four minutes Pascack Valley creating no fewer than four quality chances of its own.
Amelia Della Pesca got onto a high-bouncer and had a clear path to the goal before Old Tappan's right side defender (and this niece of this reporter), Peyton Sardanis, made her way to the opposite post to thwart the chance and Della Pesca created more havoc just two minutes later when she took possession a ricochet out of a pile-up before putting a rushed shot just wide.
Della Pesca was finally rewarded for her hard work with just over 18 minutes to play when she found herself in alone off a long ball played up by Morgan Bade and slotted it home to make it a one goal game. For a torrid 12 minutes or so, Pascack Valley showed what it is capable of when its nine new starters gain some valuable experience.
|
Rachel Kearney was a force in the midfield for Pascack Valley and hit the crossbar at the end of a 50-yard run in the first half. |
“We only have three players [Kearney, Della Pesca and Shannon Evans] on the field that have varsity experience and in the first 10 minutes in the first game of the season we kind of sunk our own ship. What I was happy about was the way we battled back. I think the second half shows what we can be as a team, but it is a matter of gaining that experience that only comes through playing varsity games,” said Pascack Valley head coach Amy Lombardo. “When you lose nine seniors like we did there is obviously going to be some rebuilding, but even though we are young we have talent on this team and we are going to work hard at getting better every day that we are out here.”
There is room for improvement for Old Tappan, too, but the Knights are still the frontrunner to repeat as league champions as Pascack Valley and rival Northern Valley/Demarest figure to be their closest pursuers in a five-team league that also includes Tenafly and Bergenfield.
“Winning a league title is always the immediate goal. This was a tough league on Day 1 so it has already started,” said Quinn. “After that you want to see how you can match up against the rest of the county and we'll have a good read on what is happening in the state tournament. Just about all the teams we play are in our section as well. We are a work in progress, but it is nice to start off 1-0.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS GAME. TO BUY A COLLECTOR'S PRINT
OF THIS STORY, PLEASE VISIT 4FeetGrafix.com. |