If you do not know who Corinne Lyght is, there’s a problem. A massive problem. There is not a more exciting player on the girls soccer team than Lyght right now, and her all-world, hat trick performance against Governor Livingston that resulted in a 5-2 victory Tuesday afternoon proved why. 
After conceding a goal in the first 40 seconds in what was an erratic first half for the Lady Raiders’ backline, SPF was in desperate need of a burst. They were turning over the ball in their third of the field, not communicating defensively, and failing to get the ball to their best offensive weapon: Lyght. 
As they settled into the game, sophomore Gia Milano provided some stability in the midfield as passing lanes opened for Lyght, the lethal center forward with a first step faster than everyone. 
It was just the beginning of “The Corinne Lyght Game.” 
“It was really nice to score three goals, but at the end of the day, I wanted to win regardless of how it happened,” Lyght said. “Today, I capitalized on my opportunities and that was really awesome.” 
With the Lady Raiders down 1-0, 30 minutes into the first half, Lyght received the ball near the right flank as she split two defenders and blasted a laser to the top left corner from 25 yards out. The socially-distanced crowd of about 100 went beserk. 
“It was crazy scoring that goal because I took a risk when I was shooting the ball,” Lyght said. “It was lefty and from distance, but I knew that I have practiced these shots over and over again at practice and by myself, so there was no reason to not take the shot.”
Shortly after Coach Kevin Ewing moved junior defender Leah Klurman to right-wing to end the first half, Lyght opened up the game using her speed and played Klurman, who served a cross to the back post finding the feet of sophomore Lily Camacho, who tapped it into the back of the net as they took a 2-1 lead with four minutes left in the half. 
The lead was short-lived for the Lady Raiders when GL tied the game 20 seconds later, as SPF conceded a repeat of the first goal. The game went to halftime in a 2-2 tie with the momentum leaning in GL’s favor. 
Ewing used halftime to make adjustments and correct the errors from the first half. This gave way to the offensive explosion led by Lyght and company. 
“I think Leah Klurman was excellent, and Gia Milano played very well,” Ewing said. “Holly Nelson stepped up for us. Some new kids on the team did very well. We need them to be consistent for 80 minutes.”  
Despite the victory by the Lady Raiders, one question has emerged: is the team relying too much on Lyght going to be an issue as they look to make another championship run? 
“Yes, we are,” Ewing said. “And we have to fix that. We’ve been talking about that in practice. But, you know, Corinne is an exceptional player, and she’s tough to stop. But we need other kids to step up offensively for us if we’re going to continue to be successful.” 
The Lady Raiders’ next game is away against Oak Knoll, Thursday, Oct. 8, but until then, Raider Nation, enjoy the win and let us never forget “The Corinne Lyght Game.”