Triton's O'Donnell Named Coach of the Year

Though very humble Triton girls’ soccer coach Holly O’ Donnell will never admit it, she’s accustomed to winning major awards.

O’Donnell, a 1991 Triton graduate, was a two-time first-team All-South Jersey selection and also was named South Jersey Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year as a senior.

During her playing days at Bloomsburg University, O’Donnell was voted South Jersey College Soccer Player of the Year and earned All-American honors as a defender, despite starring as a prolific scorer in high school.

And so on Monday night, it was only fitting that O’Donnell added the only missing major award to her trophy case—South Jersey Girls’ Soccer Coach of the Year. O’Donnell received the honor at a banquet held by South Jersey Soccer Coaches Association.

“I was really surprised. It means a lot to me to get this award, but I can’t accept this for just myself,” the fifth-year head coach said. “I have fabulous assistant coaches, wonderful players, a terrific administration and a ton of support from the community.”

Despite competing in the Olympic Conference with an extremely young roster, O’Donnell guided her team to a 7-9-1 record, a dramatic improvement from her team’s 1-16 mark of a year ago.

Eastern head coach Jamie McGroarty nominated O’Donnell for Triton’s marked improvement. The Lady Mustangs earned a landmark victory over then-No.3 Paul VI and also knocked off Seneca and Cherry Hill West, both top 20 teams.

While O’Donnell was surprised to earn the honor, Triton assistant coach Nicole Lauri wasn't caught off guard when she learned her boss won the award.

“Holly is an awesome coach. She has such a great amount of respect for not only her own staff and players, but for her opponents, too,” she said. “And I think people see that. She sets a tremendous example for our girls and she’s been a great mentor and friend to me.”

So what exactly makes her one of the top coaches in the area? According to Lauri, who starred at Paul IV and Rutgers University-Camden, O’Donnell knows the game and knows how to communicate with her players to get the most out of them.

“She is such a technically sound coach and pushes the girls to want to be better and to never settle,” she said.

O’Donnell, who spent two years coaching at The College of New Jersey as a graduate assistant and four years at Triton as an assistant before taking over the program, was grateful for the award and noted she wouldn’t have been in this spot had it not been for her peers.

“I can’t thank my coaching peers enough. A lot of the people in that room (Monday) night helped mold me into the player I was and the coach I am,” she said.

Perhaps even more exciting for O’Donnell is that the future looks bright for her program. The Lady Mustangs have a talented core of young players who should make them an immediate contender next season as they make the transition to the Tri-County Conference.

“I’m really excited right now. I think we can accomplish some great things. I wish the season would get here a bit faster,” she said.