Girls soccer: Pettigrew's return from injury could elevate title-contending Arlington

FREEDOM PLAINS – Colleen Napora looked on from the sideline, intermittently sipping from a bottle of chocolate milk while watching the Arlington girls soccer team face its rival. The assistant athletic director eventually remarked about how delicious the drink was.

A bit of comedic timing there because that could be the antidote for the Admirals' offense. Maybe.

"I don't know," coach Kelley Hunt said with a bemused smile as she half-jokingly mulled a remedy for Riley Pettigrew's injury woes. "Maybe stretch more and drink a lot of milk."

It was purely coincidental because that was said without knowledge of Napora's earlier comments.

But Pettigrew has had three soccer seasons interrupted by injuries, including this one. During tryouts last month, the star forward "tweaked" the quadriceps muscle she had torn last fall, which forced her to sit out for three weeks. She has also twice fractured her clavicle in collisions during games.

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The Admirals are defending Section 1 champions and remain a title favorite, and her missing their first two games likely will be a distant memory by the playoffs. But, the senior acknowledged, it has been "extremely frustrating" having to recuperate and miss time.

Because when she is on the field, her impact is immediate and immeasurable for this team.

Pettigrew reminded everyone Wednesday how dynamic an offensive weapon she is, consistently weaving through the defense and scoring twice for Arlington in a 4-1 win over John Jay-East Fishkill.

"We love her so much and I'm so happy she's feeling better," teammate Chase Harris said of the Sacred Heart commit. "I didn't get to play with her much last year because of the injuries, but I know how good she is. Now she’s showing that she's really back!"

Kaitlyn Dwyer, who herself recovered from offseason knee surgery, had two assists and led an offense that dominated for extended periods and generated several quality attempts.

Gia Ramputi scored the go-ahead goal with 28:35 remaining, gathering the ball after it was twice deflected, before lining a shot into the left corner that gave Arlington a 2-1 lead. Sofia Espinosa added a fast-break goal a minute later, and Harris had an assist.

"This was a great team win," Dwyer said of her squad rebounding from a tie with Scarsdale last week. "I think we played well all-around, and everyone did their part."

The back line of Samantha Guckian, Madison Heitman, Erin Lemieux and Grace McGann again excelled, limiting the Patriots' shot opportunities, and Arlington consistently moved the ball well. Sophia Vandemark made four saves for the Admirals (4-0-1). John Jay did deny them on two corner kicks and five close-range attempts in the first half, though.

Pettigrew eventually put Arlington on the board in the 25th minute, capitalizing on a breakaway and sending a shot from the right post across and behind the keeper. But the Patriots answered only 51 seconds later as Josalee Koehler fired from 20 yards and the shot skipped just beyond the reach of a defender and the goalie.

"We started off a little slow and missed out on some chances," Harris said. "Even last year, we'd start slow a lot. But once we get off the field and have a chance to talk it over, we connect and get it going."

Arlington controlled possession and applied pressure almost immediately in the second half. John Jay's Olivia Cauthers made 11 saves, including two difficult point-blank stops.

"We've had some inconsistencies," Hunt said, “but we've been working hard and it's nice to see them put together a great 40 minutes."

John Jay, which has been a perennial contender in recent years, has a young roster and is in somewhat of a rebuilding phase. The Admirals also won their matchup two weeks ago.

"It doesn't matter who the opponent is, we want to win, but beating John Jay makes it better," said Pettigrew, who missed the teams’ Sept. 10 meeting. "I'd actually never scored against them before."

The Dutchess County rivals played to a tie last October while Pettigrew was out with a broken collarbone. In her absence last fall, the Admirals became masters of the tightrope, a dominant defense enabling them to eke out close victories en route to the Class AAA regional final.

But those low-scoring nail-biters never were the ideal, the team admitted then. Having a quick-strike offense, or at least the threat of it, alleviates pressure on everyone.

With Pettigrew now healthy and "feeling 100%," Arlington adds a two-time state champion sprinter whose explosive speed, instincts and shot-creation skills make her an excellent finisher. She was among the leading scorers in Section 1 as a sophomore and, with Dwyer's playmaking and their chemistry, those two can be a prolific tandem.

"And it’s not just breakaways," Hunt said. "Riley being able to find space and exploit defenses is huge for us."

As well, the offense has been elevated with the improvement of Kaitlyn Dwyer and her twin, Madelyn, who’ve flourish early on. “We’ve got depth and a lot of talent up top,” the coach said, including sophomores Harris and Caelyn Deserre. Espinosa, Ramputi and Quinn Kapfhammer have helped anchor the midfield.

“The injuries have definitely been setbacks and it’s really frustrating,” Pettigrew said, “but there’s nothing like soccer, the atmosphere with our fans, and being part of this team. I’m so glad to be back and feeling good, and I think we can be great.”

Of course, there’s no crying over spilled milk.

Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Girls soccer: Pettigrew's return from injury could elevate title-contending Arlington