WALL TOWNSHIP – Following a 2016 season which saw the Crimson Knights go undefeated in the regular season and win the Class B North title before losing to Shore Regional in the semifinals of the Shore Conference Tournament and Rumson-Fair Haven in the Central Jersey Group II final, Wall is on track to compete for both titles again this season.
Under the guidance of Nancy Gross – in her 47th year as head coach at Wall – the Knights have won 10 sectional titles and one group title in 2008 when they fell to Eastern in the Tournament of Champions final.
They’ve also been to six Shore Conference Tournament finals winning three (1986, 1991 and 1992) while most recently falling to Shore Regional in the 2008 and 2009 finals when Shore was in the midst of winning 15 straight SCT titles.
“Anybody who knows me knows I don’t look at that,” Gross said. “Show me where we’re at on Thanksgiving Day and I’ll be fine. I just look game to game and want to see each girl improve. That’s why they know on the inside I’m a marshmallow and on the outside I want them to be the best they can totally be. I press and press until they get in their heads that they can do what I ask them to do.”
In this year’s Shore Conference Tournament, the 11th-seeded Crimson Knights held on to defeat No. 6 seed Toms River North, 2-1, in Tuesday’s first-round game. Zelda Wagner scored two unassisted first-half goals for Wall which turned out to be the difference in the game. Brittney Szigeti scored for the Mariners early in the second half but Wall shut out the Mariners the rest of the way to advance.
Wall will now face third-seeded Southern (18-1) on Saturday in a quarterfinal matchup. The Rams are ranked third in the Shore and 20th in the state so the Knights will have to be on the top of their game to move forward.
Wall launched 25 shots on goal with Toms River North goalie Gabby Gibson credited with 25 saves while Wall sophomore goalie Mia Kepler stopped nine shots on goal.
Entering this season the Knights (11-3-1) were faced with the task of replacing first-team All-Shore forward Emily Surgent’s 31 goals and 23 assists and first-team All-Shore midfielder Hanna Zarrilli’s 15 goals and 16 assists along with second-team All-Shore defender Maura McGowan.
“Last year was a rebuilding year when we lost ten kids from the year before,” Gross said. “I never project and I never know what we’re going to do from one year to the next. This year I knew we had some terrific kids returning that were going to be the base of the team but we’re still young.”
The high-scoring Wagner – a junior forward – returned after scoring 18 goals and assisting on nine others a year ago and is leading the team with 18 goals and nine assists this season.
In the preliminary round, Wall (11-3-1) – ranked eighth in the Asbury Park Press Top 10 and sixth in the NJ.com Top 10 – bombed No. 22 seed Monmouth, 8-1.
Wagner, sophomore Megan Surgent and junior Kiera Gill scored two goals apiece in their win against Monmouth with Wagner and Surgent also picking up assists. Juniors Emma Bant and Paige Pieroni added goals with Pieroni picking up two assists.
Gill was a huge part of last season’s squad when she was second on the team with 17 goals and added four assists. This season she’s second behind Wagner with 11 goals scored and nine assists.
Peironi’s goal gave her six on the year and her two assists were her first and second of the season while Surgent’s two goals pushed her total to six for the year and her assist was her fourth. Bant’s goal and assist were career firsts.
Megan Cole has had a solid year for the Knights scoring two goals with three assists after a breakout sophomore season which saw her score seven goals and assist on three others.
Sophomore Claire McGowan has scored with five goals this season after chipping in with two goals a year ago while junior Rea Cranwell has added three goals this season after netting three goals with four assists last season.
Sophomore goalie Mia Kepler has been stellar in the goal, stopping 58 shots on goal after seeing limited time last season as a freshman when she made 10 saves.
“I feel good about this team, I really do; they’re great kids,” Gross said “If I can get them to believe in themselves and believe in one another we could win a title or two.”
UPDATE: The Crimson Knights’ record fell to 12-4-1 after losing to Southern Regional, 4-0, Saturday in the quarterfinals of the SCT. The loss eliminates Wall from the tournament and will now focus on the state tournament. The Knights are seeded second in the Central Jersey Group II bracket and will face the winner of the No. 7 seed Lawrence at No. 10 seed Ewing game in the first round.
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