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Schools

BHPRSD Girls' Soccer Preview

Timber Creek is aiming at a South Jersey championship repeat.

Timber Creek

Last season, the Timber Creek girls’ soccer team capped off a brilliant 16-4-1 season with a South Jersey Group III title.

And while the Lady Chargers have a new head coach this season, it appears that they’ll be well-equipped for another run at a title.

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Shawn McHugh, who was previously head coach at Schalick and Buena, takes over an experienced and talented roster that is considered a preseason favorite in the stacked Olympic Conference.

Timber Creek returns nine starters from last year’s team, giving McHugh reason to believe his team can repeat.

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“We definitely have the experience and talent to make another run at a Group III title,” said McHugh. “We have strong senior leadership and some serious goal scorers coming back. It’s tough to defend a team when you have three or four girls who can score from anywhere.”

Despite his team’s high expectations, McHugh and his team know they have a lot of work to do if they want to repeat.

“They’ve worked really hard to get to this point, but now that we’re considered an elite program, the target is on our backs,” he said. “The question is can we keep that tenacity and mental edge as the season wears on and we make that stretch run.”

Timber Creek is led by a group of extremely talented upperclassmen. Among them is St. Joseph’s University recruit Olivia McEachern, who was named first-team All-South Jersey after scoring 23 goals a season ago.

“She has a great soccer head, speed, skill and an awesome shot. We think she could be an even better scorer this season,” McHugh said.

Kelly Farrell, who will play at Old Dominion next fall, also drew high praise from her coach.

“She is one the best all-around soccer players I’ve ever seen. She’s a playmaker with terrific skill and toughness,” McHugh said.

Elise Pratt, Brianna Magana, Jen Mosly and 2010 first-team All-Group III sweeper Tiffany Levengood all figure to play large roles for the Lady Chargers, too.

The Chargers open their season this afternoon at Williamstown.

Highland 

No matter the circumstances, second-year head coach Tiffany Strauss expects her team to get back to the state tournament.

But in order to do so, Highland will have to overcome a significant roster turnover.

Gone are seven starters from last year’s team who were lost to graduation. To make matters worse for the Lady Tartans, two more of last year’s starters have suffered season-ending injuries.

Still, despite having to rebuild from a year ago, Strauss believes her team has a chance to be competitive in the Tri-County Conference this season.

“I’d really like to see us jell this season since we are rebuilding,” she said. “I’d like to see us qualify and do well in the state tournament.”

In order to get there, the Tartans will rely on seniors Melissa Blevins and Nicole Panasiuk.

“Melissa is a terrific leader and she was our top goal scorer last season,” Strauss said. “She’s extremely fast and a versatile player, while Nicole is our defensive leader and is a true team player.”

Also giving the coach reason for optimism is junior forward Brianna Squilla who has had a standout preseason.

“She’s a really tough player who scored four goals in a scrimmage for us. She’s another girl who is a real team player," the coach noted.

Highland's scheduled season opener against Deptford on Thursday was postponed due to poor field conditions following heavy rain. The game has been rescheduled for today at 3:15 p.m.

Triton

Until last year, three things in life seemed to an absolute certainty—death, taxes and the Triton girls’ soccer team qualifying for the playoffs.

But a slew of injuries and a relentless schedule that featured several of the area’s top teams led to the Lady Mustangs missing the playoffs for the first time in 25 seasons.

Head coach Holly O’Donnell hopes her team’s injury-plagued, one-win season of a year ago was only a temporary stumble for a program that is consistently among South Jersey’s best.

As it enters its final season as part of the Olympic Conference, Triton will rely on a mix of talented freshmen and strong senior leaders to get back on track.

“Last year was very difficult for us. We had eight concussions as a team and a ton of other injuries, but we’re very excited that we’re heading in a positive direction,” O’Donnell said. “This will be a bit of a rebuilding year for us because we have four freshmen who could possibly start, but with our seniors we think we can still compete.”

Among those senior leaders is Abi Fakolujo, who has committed to playing soccer at NJIT next fall. O’Donnell has high praise for her senior captain.

“She’s really strong and can strike the ball from anywhere on the field. She’s a very well-rounded player," the fifth-year coach said.

And while Triton has a roster full of young talented freshman, they will rely most heavily upon freshman Paige Bergman, who has had an outstanding preseason.

“She’s the complete package. She’s a strong distributor, has a great sense of the game, and is going to be a weapon for us” said O’Donnell, a 1991 graduate of Triton.

And despite last year’s lack of success in terms of wins, O’Donnell believes junior goaltender Ange Martorano is on the verge of a breakout season.

“She was really good for us last year,” she said. “It’s just that she faced so many shots on goal. She had over 100 saves and she’s very strong technically.”

Still, O’Donnell knows that while things are headed in the right direction her team will experience some growing pains.

“We have a good mix on this team with our talented youth and I think we have some good depth,” she said. “But we don’t have much experience at this level so we have to stay together. I think we’re up for the challenge.”

Triton opens its season today when they travel to Cherry Hill East.

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