Edison (5-0)

The Scotch Plains Lightning U13 Girls Soccer team knew how to make their missing coach’s recuperation easier. Aware that Coach Luis Rodriguez, recovering at home from minor surgery, would phone in at halftime, the Lightning exploded with a four goals, their highest scoring first half of the year, and cruised to a 5-0 whitewash of the Edison United Independence, Sunday at a muddy Terrill Middle School. The victory was the third straight for the Lightning, improving their record to 4-1 and improving their goal aggregate to an impressive 15-3.

“I was confident they would win “, said Rodriguez from his home.
“They are playing well”.

Assistant coaches Bernard Glover and Bonnie Thompson filled in ably for Rodrgiuez and his daughter, Angelica Glover made certain her father would be successful with two goals and an assist. The Lightning repeatedly exploited a weakness in the center of the Edison defense with relentless passes down the middle. The first goal developed off a pass from Javonni Costello to Glover who raced down the left side and sent a looping shot over the goalie that hit the post and bounced straight down where an alert Kristen Thompson tapped it in.

Several minutes later Heather Rodriguez sent a perfect through pass to Glover who hit a well placed right footed shot past the
Overmatched goalie. The third goal might have been the prettiest of the day as Cathy Harley won a ball on the right sideline and did a spin move away from her defender before launching a long ball down the middle where Joanna Naugle gathered it in and launched a hard left footed shot. Glover ended the first half barrage when she won a scramble in front of the net and put in a short shot.

With a four goal lead the Lightning moved players around and lost some of their continuity. Defensive standout Alyssa Straniero was given a chance to play offense and showed explosive speed in scoring on a breakaway minutes after just missing on a similar chance.
With Edison picking up their play in the second half, the Lightning needed some acrobatic goal keeping by Rachel Parker to retain the shutout. Jaclyn Lazarus had less to do as the first half goalie with Costello, Straniero, Maria Rivero providing fine defense. Rodriguez, Thompson, Brittany Biondi, Harley and Nina Brownstone were dominant in midfield and Naugle, Glover, Parker, Cheryl Monteiro and Rachel Kreyer showed explosiveness on the line.

The Lightning played without the injured Katie Cornacchia and Jessica Nagourney. Their next game will be a battle for first place against the Central Jersey Tidalwave who handed the Lightning their only loss.