photo by Peter Warren
 
Girls soccer won their first round of the NJSIAA Tournament, defeating Newark East Side 8-0 on Monday, Nov. 2.
 
Right from the start, Scotch Plains was dominating the field. About three minutes into the game, they had broken far enough through the East Side defense to make their first attempt. The attempt was unsuccessful, but SPF quickly regained control of the ball. About a minute later, senior striker Cara Provenzano took a rip, hitting the ball off the post for the first goal of the game. Provenzano followed her goal with a second, skillfully getting around a Newark defender to put the second point on the board.
 
The whole team played aggressively, maintaining possession for most of the game. Seniors Annie Pierce, Jackie Fahrenholz, and Jillian Lapidus were notably aggressive, constantly challenging Newark’s defense and forcing them to play close to the net.
 
The lady raiders closed the half ahead 5-0, following goals from Alyssa DiFrancesco, Lapidus (with an exciting header off a cross), and Fahrenholz, respectively.
 
SPF opened the second half aggressively, with a near-miss connection attempt from Provenzano to Carly Zogg. The raiders didn’t miss for long, however. DiFrancesco came back with a golazo from outside the box, giving the raiders their sixth point.
 
Erin Hayes and Kylie Bierne closed the game with consecutive goals, giving the raiders a strong 8-0 win to start off their post-season.
 
“It was nice for all the girls to have an easier game after a tough game on Saturday,” coach Kevin Ewing said.
Girls soccer looks for another win in their game against Woodbridge on Thursday Nov. 5 at 2 pm.