Shooting Stars play well in spring tournaments

Staff Writer

By Doug mckenzie

Shooting Stars play well
in spring tournaments

The U-12 Shooting Stars ended a successful spring season by winning the recent Legends of Summer at the Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, N.Y.

The team, which is comprised of players hailing from Middletown, Hazlet, Brick, Freehold, Long Branch, Howell and Toms River, scored 17 goals while giving up only one in tournament play, posting four wins and three shutouts.

For the second time in a row, the Shooting Stars clinched the first place in the U-12 Premier Monmouth-Ocean Soccer Association (MOSA) division with a record of 8-1-1, with 9 shutouts. Both the offensive and defensive players continued to progress as the Stars scored 30 goals and gave up only one.

In addition to their dominant play in the MOSA season, the girls also had some of their best performances at two key spring tournaments. The Shooting Stars were finalists at the Columbia Invitational and semifinalists at a JAGS tournament.

The Columbia Invitational is a competitive tournament with teams from throughout the East Coast. The Stars shut out their first three opponents from Virginia, Maryland and New York.

In the semifinal round, the Stars defeated Yankee United from Connecticut in penalty kicks to advance to the championship match against the Council Rock F.C. Bucks, the former Eastern Pennsylvania state champions.

Unfortunately, the Stars fell to the Bucks, but not before another strong performance in a very competitive tournament.

This was the Stars’ second trip to Columbia, and their performance improved as they finished second out of 16 teams. Mallory Baker scored the lone goals to win the first two games 1-0 and added three more goals during the tournament. Kim Bruno clinched the 1-1 tie in the fourth game to advance the team to the win in penalty kicks and a chance in the finals.

The JAGS tournament is a girls-only tournament that is recognized as being very competitive. The Stars opened with a 3-0 win over the Moorsetown Wildcats, a 1-0 loss to PASCO (the New Jersey state and Region I champions) and a 1-0 win over the Rockets from McLean, Va.

The Stars advanced on a wild card to the semifinals, where they met the Council Rock F.C. Bucks once again. The semifinal game was played with a lot of intensity as each matched the speed and passion of the other’s play.

Julie Lancos scored a direct kick goal five minutes into the game to shock the Bucks, but in the end, the Stars JAGS weekend ended as the Bucks advanced to the finals, where they eventually won the tournament.

The Stars also placed third in the Third Annual Cherry Hill Girls Only Tournament at Fort Dix. After an opening loss to PASCO, the Stars shut out the next three teams: the Moorsetown Wildcats (2-0), Cherry Hill Hawks (2-0) and North Jersey Select (3-0).

With another impressive season under their belts, the Shooting Stars are earning a reputation as one of the state’s most dominant girls soccer teams. And their players are earning some individual recognition as well.

Tara Sodon, the Shooting Star’s goalie, is a member of the New Jersey State O.D.P. Team. Tara just returned from the Region I camp in Rhode Island, where all Northeast state team players have the opportunity to be selected to the regional pool. Ashley Novak also progressed in the O.D.P. process, making the Shore Area select team.

But contributions from all of the team’s players made the Stars extremely competitive this past spring season.

Sodon posted 13 shutouts in 18 starts, while Lauren Florio backed up Sodon in the goalie slot for seven shutouts in nine starts in addition to four goals this season.

But the Stars’ defense deserves equal credit for the shutouts. Starting sweeper Julie Lancos was solid all season, as a major factor in 18 shutouts, while also notching four assists and seven goals, three of them being the lone goals to win the game.

Bruno, Michelle Jackson, Kelly Martin and Novak were all key to the strong defense and were notably successful in tackling the ball. Caitlin Grimes, the starting defensive center-mid, also had an outstanding season, with four goals and three assists.

Offense was also a strong point for the Stars. Starting attacking center-mid and play maker Caitlin Holtz scored 12 goals and had 14 assists, along with Baker, who tallied 14 goals and two assists with three two-goal games. Holtz had two hat-trick games this season. Dangerous Jenna Lippi scored nine goals and had seven assists, with a hat trick against Point Pleasant.

Other contributors to the offense are Lexie Gray, Drew Cavanaugh, Jaime Costa and Shannon Percherski. Guest players Mary Conklin, Liza Grimsgard and Natalie Capasso also contributed to the Stars’ tournament success.

The Shooting Stars are trained and coached by Linda Napoli and assisted by Jim Holtz.