Talented Colts Neck Girls Soccer Is Still A Work In Progress

COLTS NECK – From 2014 through 2016, the Colts Neck girls soccer program went a combined 59-6-2 for the winningest three-year run in school history.

With former New Jersey Player of the Year and USA Women’s National team member Frankie Tagliaferri as the catalyst, the Cougars won the 2014 Central Jersey Group III title. They then went undefeated (24-0-1) a year later on their way to being named the No. 1 team in New Jersey after beating Northern Highlands, 1-0, on a Tagliaferri penalty kick to claim the NJSIAA Group III championship.

Last season Colts Neck was 15-2-1 before running into and losing to the hottest team in New Jersey, Hunterdon Central (21-1-1), in the Central Jersey Group IV semifinals. Hunterdon Central went on to claim the Group IV championship and the No. 1 ranking in the final NJ.com Top 20 poll.

In the midst of somewhat of a transition year, the Cougars have been able to maintain a high level of play this season with the help of a small but solid group of seniors and a gang of talented underclassmen.

“I think that we were up at the top for so long and there was a good rotation of girls,” Colts Neck head coach Doug Phillips said when asked about how this team differs from those elite teams. “Now it’s like the seniors this year are the girls that were freshmen during that stretch. So a lot of the younger girls that come in they don’t really understand the tradition and what’s at stake. We’re trying to bring them in but it was kind of a flat performance by us today. We have some youth but they’ve got to learn.”

What Phillips is referring to was their 2-0 win over No. 10 seed Middletown North in Thursday’s Shore Conference Tournament first-round match. Junior forward Kristi Mikula’s two first-half goals held up and the defense – led by senior captains Lauren Fehster and Alex Ryan, sophomore Catherine O’Connor and freshman Alexis Serluco along with freshman goalie Kaitlyn Torres – helped preserve the shutout and win.

“They’re just all really good lock-down defenders,” Phillips said of his defense that has yielded just seven goals in 13 games including eight shutouts. “They have good vision and don’t over commit, so yea, they’re doing a good job. Lauren’s a big ball winner and Kaitlyn is only a freshman but she reads the game well, comes off her line well and she’s earned some of those shutouts.”

When asked about Mikula’s game-winning performance in Thursday’s win, Phillips said, “Kristi’s getting better all the time. She could’ve had four or five goals today so she’s getting more confidence. She’s meant a lot, between her and Kayla (Lee) that’s been our offense. Isabella Fitzhenry has been really good too. She just doesn’t have the goal numbers, but she’s been a catalyst up top. But you can see how dangerous Kristi is; when she’s explosive she’s capable of a lot.”

Mikula and Lee – a senior midfielder – are tied for the team lead with 10 goals apiece with Lee adding six assists and Mikula four. Fitzhenry – a junior forward – has scored three goals and assisted on five others.

Senior midfielder Kristen Gambardella, who assisted on both of Mikula’s goals Thursday, has added three goals and two assists while Arianna Sakouktis has contributed three goals and an assist.

Jenna Buckley (six assists), Dori Barlow (one goal, two assists), Ashley Cataneo (one goal) and Gina Cilea (one goal, one assist) have all chipped in as well.

The No. 7 seed Cougars (10-3) are two-time defending Shore Conference Tournament champions and are currently ranked third in the Shore Conference and eighth in the NJ.com Top 20.

Following a 1-0 loss on opening day to Freehold, Colts Neck’s only losses have been against the undisputed No. 1 team in the Shore Conference, Freehold Township (16-0), who’s also ranked second in the state behind Northern Highlands, so Phillips was a little miffed by his team’s low seed in the Shore Conference Tournament, especially as the defending champions.

“We thought it was a little unfair,” Phillips said of his team’s No. 7 seed. “The second-place team in the A South was a four seed and the second place team in the A North gets bumped by two A Central teams with only two losses to Township (Freehold)… I don’t know. It’s just the way the ball bounces sometimes and it is what it is.”

Low seed or not, Colts Neck now moves on to play No. 2 seed Wall (16-1-1) in Saturday’s quarterfinal match and they better be ready. Wall is ranked second in the Shore and No. 7 in the state. Colts Neck beat Wall, 2-1, in last year’s SCT semifinals when Wall was a No. 1 seed and the Cougars were No. 5 so the Crimson Knight might just have a little extra motivation heading into the game.

“We had seven girls on the field today that were on the field when we beat Township (Freehold) last year in the final (SCT),” Phillips said. “So it’s not like we’re all that young, it’s just that everyone else on the field and on the bench is young. So it’s like that vibe that the captains have tried so hard to keep going this year just isn’t there and we’re trying to get that vibe back and it’s very frustrating. We’ll see, maybe we’ll see something different on Saturday. We got to be up for this because I know Wall’s going to be up for knocking us off. So I think if we’re up for them it will be a good game.”

UPDATE:  The Cougars fell to 10-4 after losing to Wall, 6-2, Saturday in a Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinal match. Colts Neck will now turn its attention to the state playoffs which will be seeded next week.

 

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