The Valley Central girls’ soccer team entered the game coming off their second two-loss stretch of the season.

Both came to the same Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association Division II rivals: Cornwall and Goshen. But the Vikings got back on the positive side of the ledger with a 2-1 non-league win over the Newburgh Free Academy Goldbacks on Thursday at NFA North.

“It feels really good,” said Samantha Setteducato, who scored both of the Vikings’ goals. “We did have a little rough patch, but it was just our formation was just a little out of whack. But we’re getting it changed and trying to come back better than before.”

Setteducato got the Vikings on the board in the 18th minute when her shot from the right post bounced off a Newburgh defender and went into the goal.

She added her second on a breakaway 14 minutes later.

“I think our offense was a little bit stronger than their defense,” Setteducato said. “So, our speed really was a key factor in getting those goals in today.”

It wasn’t long before the Newburgh offense cut the Vikings’ lead in half.

About 90 seconds after Setteducato gave the Vikings a two-goal lead, Riley Frederick’s goal got the Goldbacks on the board.

“You always get concerned I mean because 2-0 is not the best soccer lead,” Valley Central coach Jon Walsh said. “So, giving the one back changed momentum a little bit, but I think once we got settled back in it was back and forth for a little bit. And then from there, I think we played really well to finish out the game.”

The Goldbacks has two opportunities to tie the game.

The first came in the 45th minute when Marina Parodo came down the left side and sent a crossing pass, which found Frederick in front of the goal. However, her shot went wide left.

Frederick then created a scoring opportunity as she came toward the goal from the left side, but her own crossing pass across the goalmouth didn’t find a Newburgh foot.

The Vikings double-teamed Parodo, Newburgh’s all-time leading scorer, and kept her off the board.
“We know, having played with her in the division for so long, we just knew we had to make sure we knew where she was,” Walsh said. “Defend her straight up and provide coverage when we needed coverage. She’s a fantastic player, and she gives us a good challenge.”

The Vikings finished the regular season this week with divisional games against the Warwick Wildcats and the Washingtonville Wizards. The Vikings own wins over both.

Then, it’s the Section 9 Class AA tournament.

“I feel really confident with our team and our skills,” Setteducato said. “I think we have a lot of good players, and we have a really good chance of winning.”