BY CHLOE FUSCO
The girls’ soccer team finished their season 14-6, a great feat considering the circumstances. With underclassmen making up a large percentage of the team, players forced themselves to adapt.
The team faced a tough road after losing a group of seniors who scored a total of 27 goals last year. “Losing a lot of seniors last year, we assumed this season was going to be a rebuild year. However, we ended up meshing together well and overall had a good run,” said junior Lily Zanfini.
The girls stepped up, especially top scorers Zanfini, Alexis Vaccaro, and Alyssa Penn, all juniors and can return next year. “I knew this team would be competitive, and it was! This team is full of talented players, from our seniors to our freshmen,” stated Vaccaro. “I’m proud to be part of this team.” Underclassmen scored 55 of the team’s 58 goals.
Only two seniors remained on the team this season, including two goalies. “I think we did very well this season, joining this team after losing 14 seniors last year made the underclassmen step up,” explained freshman Nicole Nolan added.
Five the team’s six losses were to East Brunswick and Monroe, two teams who dominated the county, but Old Bridge kept every match-up competitive. “Some season highlights were going into overtime against East Brunswick in the GMC semi-final, Bella Ludovico reaching her 300th career save, my hat trick against Edison, and my personal favorite is when I scored in the first minute of the GMC quarter-final against Metuchen,” shared Vaccaro.
Between the GMC Tournament and the NJSIAA State Tournament, the girls won three post-season games. “The highlight of the season for me was the win against Piscataway in the first round of GMC’s. When we played them in the regular season, the game got very physical, and the score was closer than we would like,” added Nolan. “When we played them in the tournament, we took full control of the game and showed them who the better team really was.”
Finishing the season winning nine of their final 11 games and knowing the top three scorers and assist earners will return next year, the team has established a high bar. “Myself and a lot of my teammates have high expectations for next year,” said Nelson. “Our goals are very high because we know, with the potential we have, we can go far in states and win GMCs.”
Posted on 12/13/23
Photos by Tim O’Neill
Knight Life 