BERKELEY HEIGHTS, NJ- The Governor Livingston High School Highlanders girls varsity soccer team overcame a rough start by scoring three straight goals to come through with the win in their 2017 home opener. The Highlanders defeated the Pequannock High School Golden Panthers by a final score of 3-2 Tuesday afternoon in Berkeley Heights.
As the game started, Pequannock immediately set the tone creating major pressure which resulted in the game’s first goal from junior Erica Aikey in the first two minutes of the game.
“To me personally, it was nerves, but mostly not being ready to play, which is not acceptable,” Gov. Livingston head coach Mike Roof said. “We came out flat and tentative and I guess some of that falls on me as head coach, but these players have to have a certain mentality when you’re competing at this level.”
The Golden Panthers continued to build pressure in their offensive zone, but couldn’t push across another goal. The Highlanders, who weren’t getting anything going in the first portion of the game, used their defense to keep them within a goal.
The tone of the game would change as the first half rolled along.
Gov. Livingston freshman Kaylee Vreeland, who came off the bench, got things started after receiving the ball and sent it into the net to tie the game at 1-1. After returning to midfield for the game’s next series, the Highlanders jumped on chances and began to be more aggressive towards the Golden Panthers.
“It was great,” Vreeland said of the moment of her first goal. “The rush was amazing to me, the first one to score in my first varsity game as a freshman. It meant a lot to have them cheer me on and to see that everybody was proud.”
