Scotch Plains-Fanwood. Westfield. A matchup between two rival towns that will never get old. In the third riveting contest of this season, the Raiders bested their archfoe 3-0 at home, crowning themselves North II, Group IV champions for the first time since 2016.
“[Sectional champions] is a great feeling. We’re so proud of the boys. They deserve this. They left everything on the field tonight,” head coach Alex Passucci told The Fanscotian.
Following a five-goal shutout semifinal win against fourth-seeded Newark East Side on Nov. 12, the top-seeded SPF boys soccer team reached the sectional final for the second consecutive season facing off against Westfield again, but this time at home on Shimme Wexler Field.
A heartbreaking defeat in penalty kicks last year to the Blue Devils made the Raiders all the more determined to flip the narrative.
Coming out of the scoreless break with nothing to show for the persistent pressure could have discouraged the Raiders, but they were relentless. The intense back-and-forth rushes featured composed defense by senior co-captains Devin Pearce and Jack Sponheimer along with junior Bradley Pearce and sophomore Massimo Passucci that quickly transitioned to high-quality scoring chances for both sides.
Junior Jayvon Young, prolific goal scorer, will try to shoot from anywhere. After scoring from halfway in the previous match, why not try it again? Right off the second half kickoff, the ball is laid off to Young who strikes a bullet off the crossbar from halfway line. The tone was set early on in the 40 minute period where the Raiders would go on to bury three unanswered goals in rapid succession.
Senior co-captain Luca Passucci opened the scoring with a jaw-dropping top-shelf shot off a corner also known as an ‘olimpico.’ Raider Nation erupted and all the momentum was in the home team’s advantage.
“When you play a team at that caliber, they could always come back at you. It happened in the county final,” Luca Passucci said. “[The goal] was good to have. It started us, however, we knew that we were going to need another one to really feel comfortable.”
With the combination of being behind in the score sheet and everyone repping SPF gear feeding off the energy, the Blue Devils looked to find a way back into the game. As time was running out, Westfield’s urgency imposed a style of play that led to unorthodox mistakes by their backs.
Young capitalized on two instances where he breezed past defenders, slotting two goals in under three minutes to cushion the lead and prevent any chance of a last-minute tying goal.
All season long this Raider squad has demonstrated resilience and “no quit” mentality, attributing to the well-earned 18-1-2 record. After losing their unbeaten 10-0 start to the 2024 campaign to Westfield, they bounced back and upset them in the county final on the road and then shut them out in the biggest game of the season. Junior goalkeeper Shawn Guzman also earned his 14th shutout of the season, an incredible mark in his first varsity season.
“They come to work every day. They have [had] a few goals this season. They just keep going. They want more. And again, most importantly, they’re a good group of guys. [We’re] a family,” Coach Passucci said.
History continues to be written in this unforgettable season, winning both championship matches, only having one loss and climbing the state rankings to the top three.
“Playing for this town and this team is personal for me. I have family involved, people that I’ve known forever, and they support us,” Luca Passucci said. “To [win] it, not only just for myself, but for everybody that’s played here, and the tradition that we have at this town, truly means the world to me.”
SPF will face Ridgewood at home on Tuesday, Nov. 19 in the semifinal round of the group four tournament. Time is to be determined.
“There’s no words to describe [this win]. From day one, we knew that we had the team coaching staff and support to [come this far],” Luca Passucci said. “Today is a reflection of it all coming together for the second time this year. And we’re not done.”
