Dynamic duo strikes again as Wilson girls advance to district soccer semis

By Jason Guarente — MikeDragoSports.com senior correspondent

The first thing you should know about Wilson’s go-ahead goal is it never should have happened. It wasn’t even a chance really. Not for most players on most teams.

The ball could have rolled out of bounds. The cross could have flown through the box. The shot could have sailed wide.

Everything had to click perfectly to end nearly 70 scoreless minutes. It took a special combination to somehow direct the ball into the net.

Wilson has that combination.

Natalee Vicari’s goal from Elizabeth Estrada with 11:23 left helped No. 3 Wilson outlast sixth-seeded Lower Dauphin 2-0 in the District 3 Class 4A girls soccer quarterfinals at Gurski Stadium Saturday.

“They play at a higher level,” Wilson coach Tim Fick said of his All-Berks standouts. “They’re thinking at a higher level at times.”

Wilson (21-1-1) advanced to face No. 7 Ephrata in the semifinals at home Tuesday night. The Bulldogs have clinched a spot in the PIAA Tournament.

Whenever this Wilson season ends and this chapter is closed, Vicari and Estrada will be forever linked. They can’t be separated any more than one could separate the sun from the sky.

They know it. They’ve spent most of their lives as teammates. How could they not know it?

“We grew up together,” Vicari said. “We’ve always had a great connection. We’re really good on the ball. It’s cool that we get to end our high school careers together.”

Wilson controlled the first half and dominated the scoring chances. The Berks champs had nothing to show for it. The field was tilted Lower Dauphin’s way for much of the second half.

Until that play.

Estrada beat her defender on the right wing and charged down the sideline in space. She could hear the fans get louder as she moved forward. The pass she sent to the opposite post was a rocket. Vicari was the intended target.

“I did think to myself that it was really hard,” Estrada said. “But she’s an excellent player. She can finish that in her sleep.”

Most players can’t. Most take a wild swing and miss or send a shot flying to nowhere.

Vicari jumped, stuck out her left foot and blocked it into the upper corner of the net. Even though the moment seemed to pass in a blink, it didn’t feel that way to Wilson’s striker.

“It was a great ball,” Vicari said. “I just had to finish it. I was kind of by myself so everything slowed down a little. I was just hoping it would go in.”

Vicari scored again with 1:38 left. This was a blistering shot just under the crossbar. It was her 32nd goal. No one in Berks has more. Estrada has 22 assists. Again, no one in Berks has more.

These are not typical stats at Wilson. They shouldn’t be taken for granted. Vicari and Estrada are a once-in-a-generation event.

“We haven’t had anything like that,” Fick said. “The two of them. Between 30 goals and 20 assists, that’s unheard of. It’s to each other and to the team. We’re fortunate.”

Four days before Saturday’s crucial goal, Estrada and Vicari delivered another one. This time Estrada flipped the ball forward to give Vicari a breakaway in overtime and help Wilson escape against Cedar Crest.

They don’t know how many times they’ve connected through the years. It’s a lot. It’s more than they can count.

“We’re just . . . ” Estrada said before pausing and deciding if she should continue. “Unstoppable. We work really well together. She gets me and I get her.”

Vicari and Estrada would have enjoyed stellar careers if fate didn’t place them on the same team. But together they’re something more. Something better.

Together they make plays that should never happen.