Pirates overwhelm Edison
By: Justin Feil
Sitting on the bench for the first 20 minutes, Rachel Trink watched her West Windsor-Plainsboro North girls’ soccer teammates fall behind Middletown South, 1-0, in the Central Jersey Group III opener.
Yet, she wasn’t afraid that it was the end of the eighth-seeded Knights’ season, and she made sure of it by giving them the lead just before halftime on their way to a 4-1 win Monday.
"I thought we were a strong enough team we could come back," said Trink, a senior who regularly plays the final 20 minutes of each half at outside halfback . "We just didn’t have our momentum yet. Or we weren’t focused enough.
"Our whole team is playing for our seniors. We don’t want it to be our last game."
The Middletown South goal brought some of the focus back, and by the time Trink made her way on the field, the Knights had tied the score and established themselves as the stronger team. Trink’s goal before halftime helped WW-P North completely capture the momentum.
"Suzanne Haggerty hustled one down and Rachel Trink followed and ran straight to goal mouth and she just knocked it in," said Knights head coach Kevin Mackenzie, whose team was scheduled to play top-seeded Freehold Boro on Thursday. "It was a big goal for her personally, and it was a big goal for the team. It was right before halftime. Instead of going in tied, we got in 2-1 and we had all the momentum."
Led by Haggerty’s intensity and hustle in the second half, the Knights never let Middletown South back in the game. Haggerty ended the game with a pair of goals and a pair of assists. Trink showed part of what was missing in the first 15 minutes of play as she used her three years of varsity experience for the goal.
"She’s a very smart player," Mackenzie said. "She understands the game. She gets herself in the right place at the right time. My assistant and I said to each other, we’re reacting to everything and not anticipating. Rachel anticipated on her goal."
Said Trink, "Suzanne Haggerty got the ball and she had been working really hard. She passed it over. I was just in the right spot at the right time."
Being there was something that didn’t happen enough in the early going because the Knights were waiting for Middletown South to make the plays instead of dictating them. The Knights were determined to come back after the early deficit. They did not want to bow out in the first round after advancing all the way to the Group III state semifinals last year.
"It’s kind of in back of minds, we want to keep up what did last year," Trink said. "We’re determined to try to win our next game coming up."
The fact that the Knights had to take on the CJ III top seed didn’t faze them. WW-P North has been steadily improving, and getting healthier, as the season has progressed. They felt confident about their ability.
"I think we’re looking at it as a challenge," Trink said. "We believe in ourselves. We think we’re a pretty good team that can take on the No. 1 team."
Particularly if they give the same effort they did in dominating the final 60 minutes of Monday’s state game. Trink said the Knights just started to play better to meet the Middletown South challenge.
"I think our defense marked up on the forwards and stayed with their marks," she noted. "Our offense, they weren’t hesitant and they went forward. They went through the balls."
Going into the do-or-die portion of the season, Mackenzie was happy to see his team bounce back from the slow start so well. He knew the No. 9 seed had nothing to lose against the Knights.
"They had that initial adrenaline rush," he said of Middletown South. "Once that settled down, we were able to raise our intensity level and really take control of the game.
"I think really we just dominated all over the field. Starting in the back with Courtney Carnevale. She’s a freshman. She did a great job in the back. All the backs did an outstanding job. Suzanne Haggerty gave us a spark. She had two goals and two assists. I can’t just put my finger on any one area. They all played really well. And Rachel Trink came off the bench and scored the second goal which was huge."
It ranks among the best in her career, in part because it came in a state game and because of what it meant for helping the Knights advance. Trink, who has three goals this season, puts this one up there.
"This one was pretty big," she said. "It gave our team the lead, 2-1, and gave us momentum. We were able to carry out the rest of our goal."

