Indians shut out West Essex
Quevedo, Spadafino lead PV to victory
Lockdown defense and goalkeeping led 7th seeded Pascack Valley to a 1-0 home victory over 10th seeded West Essex in the first round of the North 1 Group 3 state tournament on Tuesday Night.
The Indians took the lead when Arianna Quevedo scored off a Sam Ingannamorte cornerkick and Amanda McGlone assist with 9:22 to go in the first half. In a do-or-die tournament game, Quevedo understood the high stakes and importance of taking an early lead.
“I just knew when [the ball] came to me, it had to go in the back of the net. No matter what I had to do, whatever body part it took,” Quevedo said.
On the other side of the field, senior goalie Julia Spadafino shutdown the Knights, ensuring the Indians would live to see another day. The five saves that she recorded tied her second-highest total of the season. Spadafino was especially clutch in the late stages of the second half when she stopped a number of shots, and despite being very new to the position, she proved she could perform in high pressure moments.
“We’ve been waiting for this game for a long time and we were not losing in the first round of the states,” Spadafino said.
West Essex had a few opportunities to tie the game in the second half, but neither Spadafino nor Valley’s defense broke in the winning effort.
Despite losing ten seniors to graduation before the season, the Indians have enjoyed a solid 2018 campaign, coming in with a 12-5-1 record. Overall a young and inexperienced team, Valley is led by a group of seniors, including Quevedo and McGlone, that have played a significant role in the team’s success.
“Our seniors have really stepped up this year,” PV coach Amy Lombardo said. “They carried a young team with very little experience on their backs and they proved that they could do it.”
In the second round of the tournament, the Indians will travel to Ramapo (14-2) on Friday to face the Raiders for the third time this season. Ramapo, led by senior goalie Natalie Kologrivov, has come away on top both times, shutting the Indians out 3-0 and 2-0 respectively.
“We have a lot of energy, a lot of enthusiasm, and I think we can really take it far this year,” Spadafino said.
