CLARK, NJ- After completing a regular season with 18 wins, the Arthur L. Johnson High School Crusaders girls varsity soccer team began the state tournament, looking to turn their 18-win season into more success as they took the field. The team hoped their first game would set the tone for their goals as the postseason is now in full swing.
“[Coming in], we had to make sure we were playing hard, play smart, [make] no mistakes, we didn’t beat ourselves,” Johnson head coach Ken Leeder said.
Sophomore Gianna Nigro scored two goals in the first half as the second-seeded Crusaders defeated the 15-seeded Delaware Valley High School Terriers by a final score of 3-0 in the NJSIAA Central, Group 2 First Round Monday afternoon in Clark.
Despite a few early chances from the Terriers, the Crusaders kept them at bay and immediately got to work on the offensive side of the ball.
The Terriers began the game with a few free kicks, but nothing translating into goals, while the Crusaders added pressure as the first few minutes went by. The Crusaders instantly turned the pressure into a scoring opportunity they would cash in on a chance for a goal.
Nigro took the pass and put the ball past the Delaware Valley goaltender to give her team the 1-0 lead at the 4:26-mark of the first half. After the goal, the pressure Johnson put on the Delaware Valley became more rampant as the half went along, but the score remained 1-0 Crusaders.
Nigro added to the lead with a crossover shot for her second goal of the season to make it 2-0 Johnson at the 33:14-mark of the first half. She, along with her teammates, expressed how important it was to set the tone early in a game where both teams put their seasons on the line.
Johnson led Delaware Valley by a score of 2-0 at halftime and the team knew they would have push harder for the next 40 minutes to come through on top.
“It was extremely important to me to finish those two shots in order for my team to advance into the next round of states,” Nigro said. “Hopefully, we can make it all the way.”
It was all Johnson in the second half, creating one scoring chance after another, but nothing was hitting the back of the net as the second half went along. The Crusaders, on the defensive side of the ball, kept the Terriers from receiving any opportunities towards cutting into the Johnson lead.
“We did a good job when we had the wind in our face in the first half,” Leeder said. “We were able to get those two goals, which was huge. We grinded out the game and played smart.”
Johnson senior goaltender Tina Palella made a few good saves to record the shutout, adding to her impressive season in net. The players only know the competition picks up as the later rounds of the tournament come around.
“It’s going to get more difficult if we keep advancing in the state tournament,” Palella said. “It’s important for the way my team and I to keep playing hard just like we did in every other regular season game. but I believe if we play the way we usually do, we can win it all.”
Above everything else, the Crusaders were able to preserve the shutout and keep running the clock down.
“Our team has played an incredible season so far,” Johnson senior Danielle Hartzler said. “I strongly believe we have the potential to go far in the state tournament and starting it off with a win on our home field was extremely important.”
Senior Brooke Vaccaro tallied a goal at 39:04-mark to finish off the scoring, making it 3-0 Crusaders, as time ran out and Johnson punched their ticket to the next round of the state tournament.
Junior Natalya Torres recorded two assists, while junior Cecilia Puentes dished out an assist of her own as the Crusaders took the victory.
The Johnson Crusaders (19-1) advance to the NJSIAA Central, Group 2 Quarterfinals. They will face off against 10-seeded Ewing HS Thursday afternoon at 4:00 p.m.
Ewing defeated 7-seeded Governor Livingston HS on Monday on the road by a final score of 4-2 in Berkeley Heights.
“We have to be focused and practice well,” Leeder said. “Ewing’s pretty good, they beat Governor Livingston 4-2, so we are going to have to play well again.”
The Delaware Valley Terriers finish their 2017 season with a 4-14 record.
