The Verona High School boys soccer team lost Friday night 1-0 in the quarterfinal round of the NJSIAA state sectional tournament. Two evenly matched teams took Centennial Field and fought to the finish in an extremely physical game controlled by the defenses. Each team struggled to find scoring opportunities with the lone goal coming on a penalty kick midway through the first half.
The defensive highlight of the game came early in the first half when Verona goalie Billy Czupak turned away one of the few shots on goal, making a spectacular save on a header off of a throw-in.
Verona’s top scorer, senior forward Chris Yeates, went down early in the second half with a broken leg. Yeates was dribbling down the right sideline and was fouled on a hard tackle resulting in a yellow card being issued to the Waldwick defender. After the injury, the Hillbillies pushed hard to mount an offensive attack in the final 20 minutes but were unable to score.
Senior Defender Bill Gault was sorry to see the season end and said he was grateful to be part of this year’s Varsity team. “We had a great year. No one expected us to perform as well as we did throughout the season but our 15-5-1 record speaks for itself.”
Head Coach Wayne Looney was impressed at how hard the team worked on the field. “It was a super effort and I couldn’t be more proud of the players and the parents for their support throughout the season,” he said in an email to the team this morning. “Tough loss but the guys put their hearts and souls into the season and the coaches and I feel very proud.”
Photos copyright Andy Yeates. Used by permission.
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