Girls soccer coach earns county recognition.
By: Mike Molaro
There isn’t much John McGinley would’ve changed about the script of his first season as head coach of the Hopewell Valley Central High School girls soccer squad.
He probably would’ve revised the part about the Lady Bulldogs (14-5-2) falling in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Central Jersey Group III semifinals and inserted a state championship to end a fairy tale season.
But that’s another challenge for another season.
For now, McGinley can bask in the honor of being named the Mercer County Girls Soccer Association Co-Coach of the Year. Along with Hamilton rookie coach Henry Zawdoniak, he received his award at Monday evening’s 10th annual Mercer 33 banquet at the West Trenton Ballroom.
McGinley knows he had a lot of help.
"This is a great honor," he said. "There are a lot of great coaches in the area and a lot of great teams. It’s great to be recognized.
"I had two great assistants in Jeff Neuman and Bridget Rauchut. The girls had a great season. I received this recognition because of what they did. This is really about the girls and how well they did this year."
Although sports are usually contested in a competitive arena, McGinley is happy to share the award with a good friend.
"Henry and I know each other real well," McGinley said. "We coached together on the club level. Henry did a nice job with Hamilton this year."
Picking up bits and pieces of his philosophy honed during five years as a Lady Bulldog assistant, McGinley had a plan in place when he took over.
"We wanted to establish a structured program that was consistent through the varsity and junior varsity levels," McGinley said. "We also wanted to establish a good relationship with the middle school. We want to get the younger kids exciting about wanting to play soccer in high school."
The HoVal coaches also focused on bringing out the best in those who laced up the spikes and wore the black and yellow.
"We knew a key to our success this year was to develop the girls, especially their one-on-one skills," McGinley said. "We wanted to ensure the girls were well-rounded and were confident in their skills.
"We work with the girls not only for their time at HoVal but also to get them ready for college and the next level of play. We want to read about Hopewell kids having success playing in college."
They may have been an unknown quantity this season. But after winning the Patriot Division of the Colonial Valley Conference and advancing to the CJ III semifinals, the Lady Bulldogs are a marked target next year.
"It’s a pressure you get but a pressure you want," McGinley said. "We have raised the bar for next season. We know we won’t sneak up on anyone. We are approaching next season much differently than we did this one.
"We met with the girls after the season. We did some things well and there were some things we could’ve done better. What’s nice about these girls is that they want to improve and work hard. They got a taste of success this year. They want more."
The Lady Bulldogs were one of the area’s pleasant surprises in 2003. They know that nothing will be handed to them next season.
"We realize things will be tougher because of the success we had this year," McGinley said. "The pressure will be on us. It’s an expected pressure."