By: Carolyn M. Hartko
From faces to format, the Monroe Township High School girls’ varsity soccer team will have a very different look this fall. The Lady Falcons graduated 10 seniors in June from a squad that went 13-7 (8-4 in the Greater Middlesex Conference’s White Division). Six of those players were starters.
Hardest to replace is top scorer Erin Schobert who netted 29 goals and dished out five assists in 2000. Also gone is forward Lauren Reynolds who led the Falcons in assists with 10.
In addition, second-year head coach Matt DeFilippis decided to change the lineup from a 4-3-3 to 4-4-2. To make that work, DeFilippis has changed returning juniors Jill Byrne and Meg Farrell from fullbacks to center halfbacks. Junior Marissa Tringali will reprise her role as a starting outside halfback, and senior Danielle Brown is a strong possibility to start at left half.
"I was looking to use my halfbacks a little more this year," DeFilippis said. "I want to try to get Jill and Meg more into the game, and into position to score. Last year, they were both fullbacks, and they brought the ball up from the back a lot. They have strong legs, but they didn’t get a chance to shoot. It wasn’t a factor last year because Schobert scored 29 goals. This year, it’s gonna be a little harder for us to score, so I wanted more girls up front to get more opportunities."
DeFilippis is confident his defense will be able to hold the line in low scoring games. Junior Lindsay Jones, who made her varsity debut in the final state game last fall, will replace the graduated Noreen Marcino in the nets. Junior Nova Roman moves from outside marking back into the sweeper position. Sophomore Laura Gibbons will start at stopper. The outside backs are Lisa Gaydas (junior) and Ashley Theinert (sophomore).
The Falcons are starting the season with only three subs, and no one to back up the keeper. Senior Laura Grabowski will see time in the midfield, and classmate Jen Santomarco will spell the defenders. Junior Kristie Gioino will sub up top.
"The big difference from last year to this is that I had a big bench," DeFilippis said. "This year it’s going to be a lot smaller, so there’s going to be more pressure on the girls on the bench to go in and fill in a lot of different spots on the field. Last year, I had 19 girls altogether, so I was able to use certain girls in certain spots. This year, they have to be a little more flexible."
The Falcons have had just one scrimmage so far, in which they tied Marlboro 1-1 last Saturday. In spite of people getting used to new positions and the new game plan, DeFilippis felt his squad performed well.
"We’re getting used to the new formation," the coach said. "The girls were a little uncomfortable with it in the beginning, but I think they’re starting to work better with it."
The big test comes in Saturday morning’s season opener when the Falcons host J.P. Stevens. That will be followed by games at Hamilton High West on Monday at Colonia Thursday.
Monroe finished third in their division last year, and DeFilippis is hoping to maintain or improve on that standing this fall. The Falcons lost twice to Sayreville, and twice to North Brunswick, and both teams are expected to be strong again in 2001. Monroe will also be looking to qualify for the state tournament again.
"We’re ready," DeFilippis said. "We’ve been conditioning for two weeks, so the girls are ready. They wanted to practice (Labor Day), but I said no. They actually needed to rest. But we’re ready to go."
THROW-INS: The Monroe program had a great turnout this fall, with 18 freshmen signing up.

