Middletown South’s Lauren Krzan led a parade of Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, soccer players who were rewarded for fine seasons on the field with postseason awards.
Krzan, a forward, was one of four BCC players to earn First Team All-Region XIX honors. Joining her were Howell’s Jamie Henriques, a defender; Red Bank Regional grad Amanda Beck, a midfielder; and Krzan’s Middletown South teammate Kristin Hirt, the team’s goalie. All four are freshmen, which bodes well for 2002.
Coach Frank Lawrence, who led the Blues to an 11-6 campaign, was impressed by the way his four freshmen walked in and did the outstanding jobs that they did. He said the four First Team selections were a testimony to how well BCC played this fall.
Krzan, Beck, Henriques and Hirt also made the All-Garden State Athletic Conference Team. Krzan was everything that Lawrence expected and then some. The former Eagle star was expected to score, and she did with a team-high 20 goals. What Lawrence didn’t anticipate was her play-making. Krzan had 14 assists to go along with those 20 goals.
Midfielder Beck provided ball possession and control. She was the link from offense to defense. She chipped in with 10 assists to go along with two goals. It was a record-setting season at BCC for Hirt, who set a Brookdale single-season record for shutouts with 10. On the season, Hirt only surrendered two goals against Region XIX teams.
In voting for the Region XIX Player of the Year, Krzan finished second. The forward was also selected as an Honorable Mention All-American by the National Junior College Athletic Association. She is just the second Jersey Blue woman to earn All-American recognition. The other was Lisa Fiorilla, the former Manalapan High star.