Pascack Valley had previously won four straight games against Paramus, but that streak came to an end Thursday night when the Indians were defeated by Paramus 5-1 on their home turf.

Paramus started the game off strong, scoring a goal within the first ten minutes. They added two more goals to take a 3-0 lead over the Indians in the first half.

“We need to move the ball around quicker and tighten up things on the defensive end,” coach Amy Lombardo said.

Valley’s struggles on defense continued when the second half began as Paramus tacked on two more goals early on.

“Unfortunately, we had a couple of bad bounces not go our way and [Paramus] played very well up top,” Lombardo said.

On the offensive end, the Indians struggled to put the ball in the net when it mattered most.

PV with a shot on goal stopped by Paramus #pvgsoc pic.twitter.com/YzfAscuEF7

— Smoke Signal Sports (@pvsportscenter) October 25, 2019

“We had a couple of opportunities, [but] if you don’t bury the first couple then it’s a struggle,” Lombardo said.

Valley’s lone goal came from junior Mallory Downs late in the second half.

Malory Downs scores Valleys first goal of the game. Valley still trails 5-1 #pvgsoc

— Smoke Signal Sports (@pvsportscenter) October 25, 2019

Pascack Valley, now 6-9, will play its next game on Monday against Wayne Hills. It will be the first game of the New Jersey State Tournament.

“We knew [Paramus] was going to be a good [team],” Lombardo said. “For us, it’s really [about] preparing for Monday’s game in the state tournament.”