The girls soccer season got started last week, and several teams and players jumped off the page in the first week.
Here’s who stood out in Week 1: (By Sean Farrell, NorthJersey.com sports writer)
Holy Angels
The Angels are back on the radar after earning a ranked win over Bergen Tech and a shutout over Tenafly. Senior captain Colleen Farrell has made a difference since returning from ACL surgery, scoring a goal apiece in her first two games.
Lyndhurst
The Golden Bears are scoring at a rapid-fire pace with 15 goals through three wins. It’s a credit to Northeastern-bound Kaydee Yallo, who picked up right where she left off with three goals and two assists. The Lyndhurst defense and new goalie Claudia Lapinski are also getting the job done with one goal allowed.
Mahwah
The Thunderbirds (2-0 entering Tuesday) are trending upward after their first losing season of the decade. Cailey Ford and Isabella Gomez both had a two-goal game against Mountain Lakes last Wednesday. Senior Nicole DiMartino wasn’t scored on in the first two games.
Paramus
New coach Justin DeFeo was treated to a nice debut when Paramus took down returning state finalist Ramsey, 2-1. The Spartans went on to beat Kennedy just a few days later with five different players scoring at least goal. Only a week into the season, the Spartans are almost halfway to matching last year’s five wins.
Pascack Valley
The Indians (2-0 entering Tuesday) made a statement in their season opener with a win over Northern Highlands, the four-time defending champion in Bergen County.
Alexandra Spadafino and Julia Conjour scored the only goals, while coach Amy Lombardo picked up her 100th career win. Lombardo sent out a young lineup with six new starters but her team proved that it could handle tough competition.
Lily Johnson
Ramapo sophomore forward
Johnson decided to come over from the academy circuit this season and appears to be fitting in nicely. She came up with a hat trick in her debut and did so against a tough Wayne Hills team.
Tara Lambert
Waldwick senior midfielder
Lambert led the Warriors to back-to-back wins with three goals in the opening week. Her work on the outside also helped Waldwick pitch two shutouts to start the season.
Sofia Milevski
Elmwood Park senior midfielder
It won’t be easy to top a 22-goal, seven-assist junior season, but Milevski has gotten right to work. She scored a hat trick in the the Crusaders’ first game and added three points in a win over Lodi.
