Paternoster Pacing Powerful Wall Township Girls Soccer

As a junior she broke onto the Shore Conference soccer scene authoritatively.

As a senior, Amy Paternoster is cementing her stature as one of the top producers of offense in the state of New Jersey.

“She’s a special, special player and an incredible leader for us,” said Wall Township coach Michael Juska, who is in his fifth year at the helm of the Knights, and has had a front row seat to watch his senior standout develop.

“When she first got to the program, you could see there was something unique about her,” Juska added. “There was another level to her game. She was mentally and physically ahead of where her classmates were.”

Paternoster put up 12 goals and five assists in her first year at the varsity level, and as a sophomore she more than doubled that goal total with 25 tallies.

In her junior campaign, the Princeton University-bound striker registered new career-highs with 28 markers and 21 helpers, leading her Crimson Knights to a Central, Group III sectional state championship, a 4-0 decision over Steinert in which she notched a pair of assists.

But that was then.

The way Paternoster is producing now has catapulted her into the conversation to not only be named the Shore Conference Player of the Year, but the state of New Jersey’s most outstanding performer.

“It’s nice to be talked about like that, but it’s not something I’m really thinking about,” said Paternoster. “Right now I’m just focused on the next match and getting ready for the playoffs. We want to have another deep run this year, and there’s some work to do before we’ll be able to make that happen.”

Despite her modesty, Paternoster is on pace to shatter her previous career best marks, as the senior has 22 goals and 10 assists through just 12 games, a stint in which she’s led Wall Township to a record of 10-1-1.

Over that stretch, Paternoster has recorded eight games with multiple goals, including hat trick efforts against Ocean Township and Long Branch.

However, her most impressive performance came during a meeting with St. Rose, in which she scored twice and assisted on three more goals in a 7-0 shutout of the Purple Roses.

With Paternoster leading the way, the Crimson Knights are in full control of the Class B North, with an undefeated divisional record of 8-0-1.

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