Goalie helps Knights take Patriot Division
By: Bob Nuse
Amy Hashem remembers the early years of the West Windsor-Plainsboro High North girls’ soccer program.
And remembering those days makes what the Knights accomplished on Saturday all the more special.
"A few of us, especially the seniors who have been here since freshman year, we started that first year and we only had five wins," said Hashem, who made eight saves in goal Saturday as the Knights topped Hopewell Valley, 2-1, in overtime to wrap up the Colonial Valley Conference Patriot Division championship. "We’ve helped build the program. Mr. (Kevin) Mackenzie is really proud of what we’ve done in the four years we’ve been here. We’ve grown into a championship team and we’re proud of what we’ve done."
Hashem and the rest of the seniors who have been with the program since those early struggles certainly appreciate how far they’ve come. The win over Hopewell improved the Knights’ overall record to 12-2-1 and their CVC record to 10-1-1. It’s been a steady climb upward each year since that five win season of 2001.
"These girls have come so far," Mackenzie said. "The seniors have been through a lot with the losses early in their career and then (the death of teammate) Diana Rochford. But they’ve helped build this program. And now we have a championship to show for all the work everyone has put into it."
North earned that championship with an impressive win over Hopewell. The Knights trailed, 1-0, when Hashem made a big save in the second half to keep the game close. Then, Jessica Carnevale scored to get them even and Emily Grato scored in overtime to give North the win.
"The save Amy made when we were down 1-0 was a championship save," Mackenzie said. "If she doesn’t make that save, we’re down 2-0 and we probably don’t make it to overtime. So that was a huge play in the game for us when she made the save. It was probably the best save I’ve seen a high school goalie make."
And it came in a big spot for the Knights. Just three days earlier, North had dropped a 1-0 decision to Pennington in the Mercer County Tournament semifinals. But the Knights shook off that loss and got the win Saturday to earn their first CVC title.
"It was a game that was a lot of fun," Hashem said. "I was really happy with the whole team effort. I knew from the Pennington game and the last time we played Steinert, we played the first half a little tentative. But this game we came out right from the beginning and we were very aggressive.
"I was very happy with the way our defense played. Being in the back and watching the girls’ play, I was really proud of them."
So far this year, the North defense has had more than a few efforts that have been worthy of making them proud. Only twice this season has the team allowed more than one goal in a game, and Hashem has recorded seven shutouts.
"I think Steinert is the only team that has scored three goals against us," Hashem said. "With Jaclyn (Orloff) in the back at sweeper and the strong outside backs that we have, our defense is strong all the way through. It makes it so much easier for me because I know the girls in front of me will do anything to not let the other team score. They’re just awesome players.
"It’s definitely been easier for me as everyone else has gotten more experience. We know the talent is there and now we also have the experience to go with the talent. We know our defense is strong enough to play against any team. When we play teams with one big scorer, we’re not as worried as we used to be. We know we have the talent to play against those top scorers."
And that talent has helped the program come a long way in a short period of time.