Lady Mustangs hit brief soccer skid

Drop back-to-back games after impressive opener

By: Rudy Brandl
   All of a sudden, the Manville High girls’ soccer team hit an early season skid.
   Things were looking pretty good after the opening game and the first goal of last week’s much-anticipated game against South River. The Lady Mustangs romped past Bound Brook in a 4-0 shutout the previous Friday night but couldn’t wait for the end of the weekend to get some revenge against a South River team that knocked them out of the state playoffs the past two years.
   Alison Smith scored her second goal of the season off an assist from fellow forward Lauren Kohler and the MHS girls seemed on their way to another productive day. Manville didn’t score again and South River rallied for a 4-1 victory to continue its mastery in what’s fast becoming a fierce Central Jersey Group 1 rivalry.
   South River erased a 2-0 deficit in last year’s state playoff contest and eventually won the game in penalty kicks. Manville head coach Nestor Cortina and his girls didn’t forget the bitter defeat that ended their 2000 season, so they came into last week’s regular season clash with motivation and determination.
   Scoring that first goal gave the Manville girls even more momentum, especially playing on their home field. Visiting South River fought back and took a 2-1 lead before the end of the half, with Christine Mongelli scoring both goals. The Rams tacked on two more scores in the second half to win going away.
   "We took 10 steps back all of a sudden," said Cortina, who was brimming with confidence after watching his team play beautiful soccer in the opener. "I don’t know why."
   Cortina dismissed the notion that South River is that much more talented than Bound Brook. He still feels his girls should have been able to finally defeat their sectional rivals.
   Even if Manville couldn’t beat South River, it should have fared better in Thursday’s game at Roselle Park. Manville had plenty of motivation in this game as well, having lost two one-goal games to their Valley Division rivals last season.
   The Lady Mustangs had trouble scoring against the Panthers last fall, managing just one goal in the two games. MHS kept Roselle Park in check last year but allowed a bunch of goals in Thursday’s 5-1 setback.
   "We’re not playing well at all," Cortina said. "It’s not just the defense, it’s the whole team."
   Amanda Strahan and Tara Zangari each scored twice in the first half and Manville fell behind 4-1. Justine Jeremiah scored her second goal of the young season but it was only enough to help her team avoid the shutout.
   Sophomore goalkeeper Stefanie Bocchino made nine saves in a losing cause. Bocchino (8) and Maggie Barone (16) combined for 24 stops in the loss to South River.
   Manville (1-2) was hoping to get back on track Friday afternoon vs. David Brearley, but that game was postponed due to rain. That contest was originally supposed to be played the day of the terrorist attack.
   The Lady Mustangs won’t play again until tomorrow afternoon when they travel to North Plainfield. Yesterday’s home game vs. Dayton was moved to Saturday, Oct. 13 at 11 a.m. because of the Jewish holiday observance.