CLARK, NJ- Before their game Tuesday night, the Arthur L. Johnson High School Crusaders girls varsity team honored their senior players with a Senior Night ceremony on the field.
Simone Yanagacio, Natalya Torres, Nicole Buczynski, Gianna Nieves, Kylee Zawacki, Erica Symzack, Nadia Kolfenbach, Cecilia Puentes, Carolyn Racanelli, Sarah English, Rachel Papa, Colleen Sullivan, Camila Howard and Alex Cospito were all honored in a pregame ceremony for their years of hard work and dedication to the program.
“They’ve done a great job. They’ve won a lot [and] they’ve played as a team,” Johnson head coach Ken Leeder said. “They’re talented and they’re smart. They’ve grown this year and they’ve matured. They’ve played better as a team and they’re an easy group to coach.”
The 14 seniors had pictures with their families taken on the field before preparing for the action to follow. The Crusaders would then take on the Linden High School Tigers. As the game started, Johnson took immediate control of the game by storm, courtesy of the speed of Torres.
After the game got underway, a quick pass was made into the Linden zone and with a burst of speed, Torres got the ball and fired it to the back of the net for the game’s opening goal just 29 seconds in, giving her team a 1-0 lead. The Johnson defense prevented any major ball movement for Linden.
“Coming into this new town, I didn’t think I was going to make new friends,” Torres said. “These girls turned out to be my family. They’re amazing girls, I love them all.”
After a few passes, Torres got the ball, racing in a breakway-like play and cashed in for her second goal at 5:06 of the first half, giving Johnson a 2-0 lead, adding to the greatness of Senior Night for Torres, who now has six goals on the season. She finished with the two goals, along with an assist.
“Getting those two goals was like a security [blanket], as we could now have fun for the entire game. This is our Senior Night, so we just played our best and it showed.”
Johnson led Linden 2-0 at halftime and wasted no time getting right back to work as the second half started.
Full Coverage of Johnson Girls Varsity Soccer Senior Night Win Over Linden HS Here
Photo Gallery of the Senior Night Ceremony:
