CLARK, NJ- Arthur L. Johnson High School senior Natalya Torres has been an anchor of the Crusaders offense, being tied for the team lead in goals with six on the season, In a tightly-played game of the Union County Tournament against the New Providence High School Pioneers, she came through for her team in a big way.
After the teams played through a scoreless first half, Torres scored two goals as the Crusaders defeated the Pioneers 2-0 Tuesday afternoon in the first round of the 2018 Girls Soccer Union County Tournament in Clark.
The Johnson Crusaders (9-0) advance to the Union County Tournament Quarterfinals. They will play at second-seeded Union HS Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m.
Their next scheduled regular season game is on Tuesday, October 16 against Governor Livingston HS at 4:00 p.m.
Torres narrowly gave her team a 1-0 lead in the closing seconds of the first half, but rang a shot off the goal post and it went out of play. She was able to redeem her earlier missed opportunity as the second half went along.
She burst through the defense towards the loose ball and cashed in on a look, giving her team the 1-0 lead at 18:37 of the second half, ending what was a wild, 59+ minute scoreless battle. Her second goal came with 11 seconds left in the game, icing away the game and securing it for her team.
She now has eight goals on the season. Her first one was assisted by senior Camila Howard and her second goal was assisted by senior Cecilia Puentes.
“[Natalya and Cecilia] have been playing for a long time, so they have good chemistry,” Johnson head coach Ken Leeder said. “They always find a way to get one or two goals and they did that today. They played hard.”
The first half was a completely different story between the two teams. Johnson and New Providence both exchanged several scoring opportunities and corner kicks that missed the net. There were five free kicks and two corner kicks that were either deflected away, kicked out of trouble or shots kicked out of play.
Full Coverage of Johnson Girls Varsity Soccer UCT First Round Win Over New Providence HS Here
