Boys Soccer
Despite losing the majority of its starting lineup from last year (leading goal scorer Shane Feder, midfielders Nolan Wasserman and Ethan Schwartz, along with defenders Adrian Pilet and Ian Hagen), the Pascack Valley Boys Soccer Team returns to the North Jersey Section 1, Group 2 State Tournament.
The No. 7 seed Panthers took on No. 10 seed Manchester Regional at 2pm Wednesday, at home. Valley was victorious, with a second half goal from Steven Gifford (Jr.) leading the way to victory.
Last year, Valley entered its first Group 2 tournament, as the team was previously in the Group 3 tournament the previous years. The Panthers entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed and lost in the finals to No. 1 seed Ramsey, who is yet again the No. 1 seed in 2023’s tournament.
Valley returns a few key players from last year’s team such as Steven Gifford (Jr.), who has been the team’s main scorer with a current tally of 17 goals this season. Robbie Wasserman (Jr.) and Daniel Lin (Sr.) return as well, controlling the middle of the field and assisting Gifford with his goals.
Valley has the experienced duo of Ethan Perlman (Sr.) and Aidan O’Brien (Sr.) controlling the back line, with newcomers Stefan Villanueva (So.) and Tristan Verdonck Flores (Fr.) as the outside defenders.
Bennett Scalia (Sr.) looks to stay strong in net, as he has recorded four shutouts on the year.
With Valley making the tournament final the past two years, and winning one of them, Coach Luciano Cofrancesco intends to lead Valley back to the finals.
Girls Soccer
The Valley Girls Soccer Team, who finished 14-2-1 in regular season play, looks to continue its dominance heading into the state tournament. Valley earned the No.1 seed in the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 2 Tournament. The Panthers will take on No. 16 seed Becton on Thursday at 6:30 pm at home.
In last year’s tournament, Valley was the No. 3 seed, losing to the No. 2 seed River Dell in the semi-finals.
Valley lost five seniors, all of whom were crucial parts of the team. Julia Conjour was the team’s leading scorer last year with 16 goals. Tori Criscuolo and Cameron Dolan held down the back line while Vanessa Rack and Isabella Russino were successful in the midfield.
Despite losing four starters, Valley returns key players who have previous varsity experience. Returning midfielders Amanda Polyniak (Sr.), Tara Stewart (Sr.), and Celina Bussanich (Jr.) have been key contributors this year. Allie Polyniak (So.), who came off the bench last year, now earned a starting position up top and has thrived in the position; with 13 goals this season, she’s tied as the team’s leading goal scorer with her sister Amanda, who is committed to play Division 1 soccer at Cornell University.
Anya Dembowski (Sr.) and Sarah Mastowski (Sr.) look to continue holding down the defense, as freshmen Alex Lambrinos and Maddie Wu start on defense as well.
Freshman goalie Gabby Velecela has been crucial down the stretch for PV, recording 79 saves and 10 shutouts so far this season.
Earning the number one seed, Valley looks to bring home a sectional championship, avenging its semi-final loss last year. The team’s journey begins Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at home against Becton.
Football
The Pascack Valley Football team earned itself the No. 3 seed in the state tournament this year, as the Panthers will take on No. 6 seed West Morris on Friday at 6:00 p.m. at home.
Last year, Valley finished 2-6 in regular season play. The Panthers, however, ended up in the finals of the North Jersey, Group 3, Regional Invitational Tournament, where they ultimately lost to Summit.
Valley went 6-2 this season to conclude a strong bounce back year; the team earned wins against Ramsey and Montville, two opponents the Panthers fell to last season.
Kevin Regula (Jr.) looks to continue as the main source for Valley’s offense: he has 962 rushing yards, and 20 total touchdowns this year. First year quarterback Adam Shaw (So.) has gotten the job done, using his receiving core of Dante DaCosta (So.), Michael Fronzaglia (Jr.), and Owen Deady (Sr.).
On the defensive side, Dante Riccardi (Jr.), Colin Krause (Jr.), Kai Smith (So.), and Ashton Kazinci (Jr.) have all made key contributions in Valley’s defensive success.
Valley’s last state tournament appearance was during the 2021-2022 season where Ethan Silcher was under center and Stephen Dembowski, current Delaware football player, manned the Offensive and Defensive Line.
Valley looks to advance its season as long as the boys can, starting its journey against West Morris on Friday at 6 p.m. at home.
