CHESTER – For the West Morris Wolfpack, November 10 was arguably one of the best nights of the season for them. Why, you might ask? The girls’ soccer team won the North 2, Group 2 sectional semifinals against the Harrison Blue Tide in a decisive 7-0 shutout.
For the victorious Wolfpack, this victory brings them to a 16-4-2 record overall, with a 4-2-2 record in NJAC American Division play.
For the Blue Tide, however, this brings them to an 18-3 record. However, they are undefeated in NJIC Patriot Division play, with an undefeated 10-0 record.
Going into the tournament, the Wolfpack were the one seed. In the first round of the tournament, West Morris topped 16-seed Parsippany 6-0, followed by a 3-1 win against eighth-seeded Johnson in the quarterfinals.
For the Blue Tide, the journey through the tournament thus far has been interesting. They won 6-0 against 12-seed Newark Tech, before winning in a very close upset against fourth-seed South Plainfield, 4-3. However, the clock struck midnight for this Cinderella team, as they lost in a shutout against the Wolfpack.
The scoring was spread between multiple Wolfpack players, but there was one player who took the lead for the Wolfpack. Senior Alanna Vieira had an incredible night, scoring a season-high three goals. Vieira beat her previous season high, which came in an early-season loss to Montville. In that game, she scored two goals, which was her previous season high until this game against the Blue Tide. On top of her three goals, she also assisted on one goal.
Junior Caroline Sardeira, senior Kayla Vieira, freshman Isa Bunyi, and junior Emerson Gjelsvik scored one goal each, contributing to a decisive Wolfpack win. Sardeira was recorded two assists during the game, bringing her to a total to 17 assists on the season. Vieira, Bunyi, and Gjelsvik handed out one assist each, bringing the game total for assists to seven.
Senior goalie Megan Fiessler was also able to contribute a bit of action to the game, making one save during the game.
For the Blue Tide, even though it was a complete shutout, there was still some action from their goalie. Freshman goalie Oriana Barrera made two saves during the game, bringing her to a career total of 16 saves. Action-wise, it was a quiet night for the Blue Waves compared to their previous games in the tournament.
Looking ahead for the Wolfpack, they will take on the Madison Dodgers, looking to earn their first victory in post-season play against them. In previous years, the Dodgers have won against the Wolfpack, winning 2-0 in the North 2, Group 2 sectional final last year.
This year, the Dodgers won in a first-round shutout against 15-seed Governor Livingston in a 6-0 shutout. From there, they won in the quarterfinals against seventh-seeded Hoboken, also in a 6-0 shutout, before beating six-seeded Lyndhurst in a 5-0 shutout.
Even though this game for the Wolfpack was a shutout, both teams are looking for two things in this Friday’s matchup: the chance to beat their long-time rival, and the chance to take home the North 2, Group 2 championship for their team.
