Saturday,
November 8, 2014
By Cory K. Doviak
NJS.com Editorial Director
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Freshman Kelly Petro walked in the game-winner with 2:24 left in the second overtime as Pascack Valley advanced to the North 1, Group 3 state sectional semifinals with a 1-0 win over Passaic County champion Wayne Hills on Friday. |
HILLSDALE – The Pascack Valley girls soccer team does not give up many goals and, in turn, it does not score that many either, so a low scoring game in a pressure situation is nothing new to the Indians. Throughout the season, against a brutal schedule and with a young team, Pascack Valley has continuously been in the position of trying to manufacture that one key strike while keeping a talented opposing side from doing the same.
Pascack Valley stuck to its plan even into the 97th minute when the build up was perfect and the opportunity presented itself.
“We have really been practicing lately about having the backs push up when they have the space so they can get that cross in,” said Jillian LaRocca, a junior defender. “That is what I was doing. I moved up and saw that space so I knew it was the perfect time to send in that cross. I tried to get it to the back post.”
LaRocca's cross, a twister in the wind that did reach its intended destination, set off the chain of events that gave Pascack Valley a 1-0 win over Passaic County champion Wayne Hills and a spot in the North 1, Group 3 state sectional quarterfinals against three-time defending champion Northern Highlands.
LaRocca pushed past the center stripe, took another dribble or two and then right-footed the ball on a diagonal where a pile-up was forming right around the top of the six yard box. Elizabeth Spadafino, one of Pascack Valley's four freshman starters, was in the middle of that scrum and she redirected the ball on goal with her head. Through a tangle of feet, Wayne Hills keeper Erica Knudsen got her fingertips on the original shot, but the rebound sat right there for Kelly Petro, another PV freshman, who walked it right into the net, the same net that would host a full-team celebration just seconds later.
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Meghan Griffin's speed on the flanks created most of Wayne Hills' best scoring chances. |
“The ball hit off Elizabeth [Spadafino] and then off the goalie and it was just kind of rolling right towards me. Then it just kind of hit off my leg and went in. There was no time to think, I just kind of ran through it,” said Petro. “This game was so intense, but the whole team stuck together, stuck to the game plan and we won. It's great because everyone was involved.”
With four freshmen in the starting lineup, five that play and just two senior starters, Pascack Valley has had a wild ride on the learning curve at times this season. But one place where there has been nothing but consistency has been between the pipes where senior keeper Kimberly Pane has been a rock. Experienced and, even better than that, talented, Pane has made some mistakes of youth disappear and she was on top of her game on Friday.
Pane read a Meghan Griffin centering pass playing onto the penalty spot for Brooke Adamchuk, who might have had a wide open look. Pane slid out to break up the play with both feet before it became truly dangerous just nine minutes into the game. Griffin's speed on the flank was a weapon all game long and when a ricochet off a clearance attempt bounced off a fellow defender, Griffin was in with pace and space up the left. Pane, however, played her angle and smothered the shot at the near post. There were two subsequent corner kicks, but neither of those came to fruition and the first 40 minutes expired with no goals.
The possession game was about even, but real scoring chances were hard to come by for both teams, which excel in their respective defensive thirds.
“Number 20 [Griffin] is extremely fast and it was tough to keep up with her at times, but the defense pulled through. We got the ball out when we had to and we didn't let them score,” said Cassidy Mazzone, PV's junior sweeper. “We've played so many close games this year and we are comfortable in them. We kept the ball down and we played. We settled the ball and we moved it forward.”
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Junior defender Jillian LaRocca sent in the serve that led to the game-winner for PV, which will play Northern Highlands in the sectional semis on Tuesday. |
Wayne Hills (16-3-1) had perhaps its best chance to steal a road victory 24 minutes into the second half when the ball fell to the feet of Giuliana Guarino inside the 18 and she had time to turn and fire. Guarino did, but it was right at Pane, who secured the ball at eye level to maintain the shutout. Knudsen made her best save of the match to minutes later when she took the ball off the feet of Lydia Christiano on the doorstep.
Then it was on to the first overtime where the best chance belonged to Pascack Valley off a Chelsea Lee corner kick that was volleyed over by Jennifer LaRocca. Kaitlin Gallagher nearly converted a long distance try four minutes into the second overtime, but when that one curled over the bar, it looked like penalty kicks were inevitable.
Instead, one freshman won a ball in the air and knocked it to another freshman, who put it in. While teams are handing in their jerseys all over North Jersey, Pascack Valley (11-6-2), the No. 4 seed, can look forward to a weekend full of practice and then the chance to pull the upset of all upsets in Allendale next Tuesday in the state sectional semifinals.
“When you look at your team and realize that you are starting four or five freshmen every game, you know you are going to take your bumps and you know it is going to take them a while get a grip on things and understand what we are trying to accomplish. But they have put in the work and have proved that they are capable” said PV head coach Amy Lombardo. “Same story and here we go once again...back to Northern Highlands. We are going to give it all we got and see what happens.”
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