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Angelina Vargas '23 Scores in DR National Debut

Rudy Brandl

W+H junior Angelina Vargas ’23 made an immediate impact on her first touch as a member of the Dominican Republic women’s national soccer team. Angelina entered the game as a substitute with five minutes remaining and scored the final goal in a 3-0 victory over Bolivia on October 22. She made a brilliant run into space, received a pass just inside the penalty area and fired a left-footed shot into the near corner for a perfect finish.

“My first reaction was pretty much a ‘no way that just happened’ in simple terms,” Angelina said. “I was pretty nervous going into the game but the entire team is so supportive and welcoming I didn’t feel like I was alone out there. I also had a lot of my family there with blow horns and loud voices, which made the whole moment even more exciting!”

Angelina and her DR teammates played a second friendly vs. Bolivia three days later and the game ended in a 1-1 tie. Angelina’s impressive debut obviously caught the attention of the DR coaching staff as she earned 25 minutes of playing time in her second international match.

The W+H standout returned to school and resumed practice with her team again on Wednesday in preparation for the state playoffs. The Rams (7-7-1) were seeded fifth and will travel to fourth-ranked Saddle River Day School on Nov. 5 for a quarterfinal round matchup in the North Jersey Non-Public B Tournament.