Kyle Stackpole
PV Sports Beat
In a day where it felt more like winter than spring, Pascack
Valley was looking to freeze Dwight Englewood and improve to 9-2.
It sure wasn’t pretty, but in the end, the Indians were able
to hold off Dwight Englewood by the score of 4-3.
Whether it was the cold or the sun in the eyes of the players,
both teams seemed to out of sync throughout the game. It wasn’t until the end
when Dwight Englewood started to get something going, but it was ultimately too
late.
The first goal wasn’t scored until about 10 minutes in when
standout Kevin Illian rifled one past the Dwight Englewood goalie. Junior Nick
Sunseri added another goal before the end of the quarter, giving the Indians a
2-0 lead after the first.
The second quarter was one the Indians would like to forget.
They couldn’t seem to get anything going on the offensive end and if it wasn’t
for Senior Goalie Kevin Switzer, they could easily have been trailing at
intermission.
Instead, Switzer had 6 saves in the quarter without allowing
a goal, giving the Indians a two-goal cushion at the half.
Neither team came out ready to play in the third, but Dwight
Englewood was able to muster up one goal, making it a one score game going into
the final period.
Pascack Valley knew this was a game they couldn’t lose and
showed it in the fourth quarter. Freshman Zach Beja scored with 10 minutes left
and Illian added another one with just 2 minutes to play, giving the Indians a
4-1 lead and putting the game out of reach.
Dwight Englewood made it interesting by scoring 2 goals in
the final minutes, but Valley was able to hold on in the end to win 4-3.
It might have been the worst game played by the Indians all
season, but all that matters is that a win is a win, no matter how it happens.
“We were relieved that we pulled this one out,” said Junior
Ryan Foley, “And we are determined to go out and play better the next game.”
One great sign for the Indians was the play of Kevin Illian.
After suffering a hamstring injury against Old Tappan on Wednesday, he came
back with a vengeance on Friday, scoring two goals and dishing out two assists.
He’ll need to be 100% if Pascack Valley wants to make a deep run in the county
tournament.
Pascack Valley plays Monday against Pascack Hills.
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