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Lakeland's girls' soccer team defeated Wayne Valley 2-1 in the Passaic County Tournament Finals. Lakeland didn’t let deplorable weather conditions interfere with their game plan as they were able to rally from behind to defeat the three-time defending champions.
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Wayne Valley right from the start controlled the soccer game. The Indians were able to move the ball with crisp and accurate passing. It didn’t take long and in the 15th minute Wayne Valley’s Natalie Oprihory nudged one in from a scramble in the box. The Indians had a couple of chances thereafter but nothing materialized.
After letting a goal in, Lakeland started to turn the game around by imposing their physical play. They began to play more aggressively, beating Wayne Valley to every 50/50 ball. By the 30th minute, the game was played in Wayne Valley’s half of the field. Soon after, on a similar scramble that gave Wayne Valley the lead, Lakeland was able to convert when Cassie Kusnic poked the ball in past the goal keeper.
Lakeland picked up where they left of in the first half and continued to be physical and aggressive. The Indians couldn’t regain control of the game and looked demoralized. Lakeland took advantage and tallied their second on a corner kick. Renee Horen sent a hard, low kick toward the near post, and Kaylan Bruzzone just got a foot on it to redirect it into the net for what proved to be the winning goal.
Lakeland never gave up any concrete chances to Wayne Valley after the Indians' lone goal. Similar to their semifinal match against DePaul, Lakeland was able to neutralize Wayne Valley’s finesse and skill and turn the soccer game into a backyard fight. That is what has characterized the 2008 Passaic County Champs all year.
Congratulations to the Lakeland High School Girls Soccer team and coaching staff on their first county title in the sport since 1995. --Emir Liguori for Jersey Sports Now
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