D’Emilio, Vazquez lead Woodbridge to NJSIAA first round victory

WOODBRIDGE -- Most coaches would be pleased with having one dynamic scorer that can take the ball in the open field at any moment and make a game-changing play. Woodbridge High School girls soccer coach Dan Mortensen is fortunate enough to be furnished with two athletes who can find the back of the net with ease.

Sophomore Gabby D’Emilio and junior Gabby Vazquez were on full display during the first round of the NJSIAA North 2 Group IV Tournament at Nicholas A. Priscoe Stadium in Woodbridge. D’Emilio scored two goals and had an assist and Vazquez added another tally to lead the seventh-seeded Barrons to a 5-4 victory over 10th-seeded Piscataway.

“It’s really important to have a good relationship with your other forward,” Vazquez said. “Especially when you are relied upon to score. I always know where she is going to be and I always know where to play the ball. She’s always exactly where she needs to be and she always finishes. Having a good relationship with her helps me a lot and helps the team.”

“I know where she is going to be before she is even there,” D’Emilio continued. “It’s kind of easy to give her the right ball because she knows which one to make and I know what one to play. We kind of bounce off each other.”

Girls Soccer Roundup for Monday, Nov. 2

D’Emilio would have her say in the scoring column during the later parts of the game, but it was her aggressive style of play that helped Woodbridge get on the scoreboard. During a play in the box, D’Emilio took control of a pass but was spiked from behind by a Piscataway defender. This enabled Sophia Gomez to capitalize on the opportunity by successfully sending a penalty kick to the upper left corner. Although Woodbridge was in for a high-scoring affair, it never once surrendered their lead throughout the course of the game.

D’Emilio immediately followed the opening score with another created opportunity. She once again flashed her multi-dimensional skills by sending an impressive pass up field to Vazquez, who sent a rocket past Piscataway’s keeper at the 26:39 mark in the first half. This scoring play was another example of their prime connection on the field.

“It’s kind of something that not too many other teams have -- two great forwards,” Mortensen said. “It kind of makes one forward work off of the other. I’ll take those two over anybody in the GMC.”

D’Emilio gave considerable attention to other areas of offense during the offseason. Mortensen knew his star player could score -- she scored 16 goals during a breakout freshman campaign -- but he wanted D’Emilio to look to spread the ball more. She has answered the request with flying colors.

Although she is now more of a well-rounded player, it’s her ability to score that puts her in the same category as some of the top players in the Greater Middlesex Conference. D’Emilio notched two goals on Monday, which sent her team in the right direction, and Anjanie Glizean recorded a goal at the tail end of the first half for Woodbridge.

D’Emilio had to drop back to the defensive side of the field in the second half, a spot she typically plays for her club squad. It was an attempt to slow down the gifted Lela Allen. The Piscataway forward would have been the main headline of the game if her efforts weren’t overshadowed by her team getting eliminated in the first round.

Nonetheless, Allen single handedly kept her team in the competition. She had a season-high four goals and supplied constant pressure to Woodbridge’s back four. It was a game for the ages, and upped her season total to 20 goals. It was the fourth time this season the junior reached at least three goals in a game.

“This wasn’t surprising,” Piscatway’s coach Jen Vroman explained. “Lela is a stud for us and she has been all season. She’s been playing in the center of the field for the last two and a half years for us, but with a lot of the injuries we had to throw her up top and let her run. She has done a great job for us.”

Piscataway showed that it has a promising future by competing in the Red Division, even while battling through some lingering injuries. The Chiefs may have fell short this year, but next year Vroman will have most of her starting lineup returning.

“It’s always been there,” Vroman said about the team’s competitive nature. “I think we’ve been unfortunate the last few years with a lot of injuries, that goes into this year as well. I thought we were really strong and then we lost three key players to season-ending injuries. To see that we can still compete says a lot for us.”

Woodbridge will play second-seeded Scotch Plains-Fanwood in the quarterfinals on Thursday. It will be no easy task as the Barrons will have to stop a high-powered offense fresh off of an 8-0 thrashing over Newark East Side on Monday.

“We had a nice week of practice,” Mortensen said. “You could tell from that loss (in the GMC Tournament) the girls were still focused. Being in Group IV, I keep reminding them that there’s no easy game no matter what seed you are.”

Staff Writer Steven Macri: smacri@njpressmedia.com