Girls soccer team looks to carry upset into quarterfinals

Girls soccer captain Chloe Witt had nothing but praise for her teammates after the Indians won their opening game of the Bergen County Tournament against Cresskill by a score of 5-0.

Now, the Indians are slated to play in the quarterfinals against Ridgewood,in a game being played at a neutral site—Indian Hills.

But the road to the quarterfinals has been a true test for PV.

“The team is improving every game and we have gelled really well together. Not only do we trust each other on the field, but we’re friends and have a great time together,” she said. “I’m really proud with our efforts so far and I can’t wait to pull some upsets with this amazing group of girls and soccer players.”

Even with that mindset, the Indians knew that they had a tough test to come in the next round against Mahwah. 

Fast forward to last Sunday when the No. 11 ranked Indians took down the No. 6 ranked Mahwah Thunderbirds 2-1 in round two of the county tournament. Going into the match the Indians knew that it would take a collective effort to win this game, as Mahwah went in with a 9-1-1 record.

Even as motivated as they were heading into the match, the Indians went down 1-0 in the first half. While she was concerned, coach Amy Lombardo always felt PV had a chance.

“I knew when we went down we would have a hard battle in front of us. Then, when they missed their penalty shot, I knew we had to take advantage and really regroup at halftime,” she said. “I knew our best chance would be to go at them as soon as the second half started and try to put one in early and then go from there.”

With the exception of the one goal, the defense served as an anchor for the rest of the game. The defense kept PV in the game, hoping to give them an opportunity to tie it up.

Sophomore Arianna Quevedo managed to draw a penalty on Mahwah and then stepped up and converted the penalty shot to tie the game up at one.

“The only thing going through my mind was I have to make this,” she said.

Quevedo is having a fantastic season for the Indians as the leading goal scorer, with ten goals on the season which leads both the boys and girls programs.

Not long after Quevedo’s strike, the Indians took the lead. Once again, it was Witt who stepped up and scored a second goal, that proved to be the game winner. “We were working so hard all season and to go from losing to Mahwah 6-1 in a preseason scrimmage to beating them 2-1 was exhilarating,” she said.

The Indians play No. 3 ranked Ridgewood in the quarterfinals of the county tournament on Sunday. The Indians have played Ridgewood already this season, resulting in a 1-0 loss.

Despite the earlier loss, Quevedo is confident that PV can pull off another upset this Sunday.

“Going into the quarterfinals I think we stand a good chance against Ridgewood,” she said. “With the heart that our team has, anything is possible and I can’t wait. I’ve been waiting since the [final] whistle blew against Mahwah for this game.”