At first, it looked as if yesterday wasn’t going to be Verona’s day. The first half of the game between the girls soccer teams of Verona and Glen Ridge belonged almost entirely to the Ridgers, who put two goals on the scoreboard. It wasn’t until 3:37 was left in the first half that Emma Zalewski, a freshman, finally scored for Verona.
Glen Ridge recaptured the momentum when the second half opened. The Ridgers scored twice in quick succession, one of which was on a penalty kick after a disputed call against Verona’s Cayla Okafor. At the 29-minute mark, it was Glen Ridge 4, Verona 1.
But things weren’t even close to be over for the Lady Hillbillies. With 25:07 left to go in the half, Grace Madigan, another freshman starter on the varsity team, scored. Karen Andre, a sophomore, made the game Glen Ridge 4, Verona 3 with 8:22 left.
In the next minute, the tensions that had been apparent between the two teams for the entire afternoon erupted. The Glen Ridge goalie grabbed Madigan in the box as she was driving to goal, earning the goalie a yellow car and a trip to the sidelines. At 8:21 Andre scored on penalty kick, making the game Glen Ridge 4, Verona 4. Regulation time ended with the game at a tie.
In overtime, senior Lara Tole leveraged her experience to get Verona the win. Tole scored the golden goal at 4:15 into first overtime, improving Verona’s overall record to 4-1. The Lady Hillbillies travel to Newark on Monday afternoon for a game against East Side.
Photos copyright Kathleen Seubert. Used by permission.
