Pennington girls soccer
By: Mike Molaro
Most people knew that senior midfielder Kylee Rossi would be the key offensive threat for The Pennington School girls soccer squad this season.
Even though she was second in team scoring a year ago, sophomore forward Lora Fink may not be as well-known as her teammate, but she quickly is making believers out of any remaining skeptics.
With Fink and Rossi each scoring a goal Tuesday, the Red Raiders (9-3) recorded a 2-0 triumph at The George School. Fink recorded a hat trick in a 4-0 home victory over Hun on Oct. 7.
Fink opened the scoring against George three minutes into the game off an assist from sophomore defender Keri Washington. Rossi added an insurance goal in the second half with an assist from sophomore defender Ali Kliment. Junior goalie Juliette Grillo made six saves for the shutout.
"This wasn’t a pretty game," Pennington co-coach Bill Hawkey said. "George plays defense and packs it in. Scoring early may have hurt us, as we were lacking our usual intensity in the first half.
"Juliette has been outstanding in goal for us. That is a credit to her and to our defense."
Facing a team like George is the ultimate test of a team’s patience.
"Playing George is frustrating," Hawkey said. "As soon as they lose the ball, they retreat and pack it in. They play with only one forward and hope that she can beat our three defenders. We told the girls to play patiently and stick to the game plan. In a game like this, you want to get a win and get out without injuries."
After a scoreless first half against the Raiders, Pennington blasted four goals and Grillo turned aside four Hun shots for the win. Freshman Casey Ramirez added an assist as Rossi put the Red Raiders on the board, and Fink followed with three straight goals.
"Hun played a defensive game in the first half," Hawkey said. "We had our chances in the first half but didn’t convert. Kylee hit a bullet that couldn’t be stopped. After that, Lora worked her magic.
"Hun is a good rivalry. They always get up for us, and they make it interesting."
With Fink as a nice compliment to Rossi, opposing teams now have double trouble when facing Pennington.
"Lora emerged last year as a freshman as a legitimate scoring threat," Hawkey said. "She is a very good finisher, and she’s not afraid to get in there and get physical to get her shots.
"She is making a name for herself as a scorer. She deserves it."
With Saturday’s homecoming game against Morris Catholic, the defending Parochial B champions, and next week’s clash against Pingry, one of the top-five ranked schools in the state this season, the Red Raiders are facing a rugged week.
"The girls are excited about the challenges that both teams will present," Hawkey said. "The girls like the tests on our schedule. These will be great measures as to where we are."
With that 9-3 record and an ever-growing confidence, Pennington will be a force in the Prep A state tournament. Still, work needs to be done.
"There are always areas for improvement," Hawkey said. "We need to be more deliberate and stick to the game plan. The girls need to adapt better to different styles. We are getting better at it.
"We (co-coach Patrick Murphy and I) have a lot of fun watching these girls play. They play a pretty brand of soccer."
NOTES: Last Saturday’s game at Rutgers Prep was cancelled because the Argonauts were competing in the Somerset County Tournament. No makeup date has been set. Delaware Valley has cancelled this week’s game against the Red Raiders. Rossi leads all area scorers with 44 points (17 gold and 10 assists), and Fink is among the top area scorers with 27 points (12 goals and three assists).