CLARK, NJ- The Arthur L. Johnson High School Crusaders girls varsity soccer team will face off against Bernards HS in the semifinals of the NJSIAA Central, Group 2 State Playoffs. The game will be played on Monday, November 6, 2017 at 4:00 p.m. on the turf of Nolan Field in Clark, New Jersey. The Crusaders are seeded No. 2 in the bracket, while Bernards is the No. 3 seed.
Johnson defeated Delaware Valley in the first round by a final score of 3-0 and edged Ewing by a final score of 2-1. Johnson sophomore Gianna Nigro has scored three of the four goals this state tournament.
Bernards defeated Carteret in the first round by a final score of 7-0 and defeated North Plainfield in the quarterfinals by a final score of 6-0.
The Crusaders started off the season with an 12-0 record, featuring six straight shutouts to open up the season, before allowing their first goal of the season in a 3-1 win over Kent Place on Saturday, September 23. Their first setback this season was a 3-0 loss to Scotch Plains-Fanwood (ranked No. 11, now No. 10 on NJ.com’s Top 20) on Saturday, October 14.
They are currently on a seven-game winning streak since that loss, including wins over Kent Place, Dayton, Roselle Park, Rahway, Linden Brearley and Delaware Valley as they begin the state tournament.
Last year, the Crusaders reached the NJSIAA Central, Group 2 Semifinals before losing to Robbinsville by a final score of 2-1.
Johnson’s offense is led by junior Natalya Torres (21 goals, six assists), junior Cecilia Puentes (ten goals, 11 assists) and sophomore Lily Gull (ten goals, seven assists). There is also a well-balanced look on the statistics, with everybody doing the things needed to win here and there.
Senior goaltender Tina Palella has stopped 38 shots on the season.
The Crusaders also have a strong defense that features players such as senior Nicole Cassano, junior Nicole Buczynski and sophomores Jenna Wiese and Gianna Nigro as they have constantly locked out the opposition from reaching the back of the net.
On the season, the Crusaders have scored 69 goals on offense, while the defense has only allowed nine goals (three of them coming against Scotch Plains-Fanwood).
Johnson Girls Varsity Soccer will go far in the state tournament IF:
First, the offense continues to produce, they have to take a shot on every chance that they get on the game, especially with teams they could face this postseason.
Second, clean defense and getting in the way of shots. Just have to be ready for the rushes, corner kicks and potential penalty kicks to come to them and make a clean call and be ready to save the shots and keep the momentum rolling as the games go on. The defense has communicated well and it shows on the field of the games played.
Third, timely scoring and defensive saves, this will also prove to be a major factor in the state tournament. Tina Palella has done good and she will be crucial for the team in the rest of the season.
The NJSIAA Central, Group 2 bracket has four teams left, such as Rumson-Fair Haven (2016 sectional runners-up) and top-seeded Wall Township.
