Lebedz, Bradley, Brozyna named to All-MVC teams
By: John Beisser
Three members of the Manville High girls soccer team, junior midfielder Rhianna Lebedz, senior forward Christine Bradley and junior sweeper Marzena Brozyna, concluded the 2005 season by being named to the Valley Division All-Star team of the Mountain Valley Conference.
The Lady Mustangs finished their second season in the competitive Valley Division with an overall record of 5-13. Manville used to compete in the less competitive Sky Division but moved up to the Valley Division after winning the Sky Division two consecutive years. The most competitive of the three Mountain Valley Conference divisions is the Mountain Division.
The Valley Division is comprised of Manville, New Providence, Rahway, Roselle Park, Bound Brook and North Plainfield. The three Manville post-season honors recipients were voted to the All-Star team by the coaches in the Mountain Valley Conference. Lebedz was named to the Valley Division First Team, while Bradley and Brozyna were named honorable mention.
"It’s quite an accomplishment for those three girls," first-year Manville head coach Mike Shambach said. "Rhianna is a very hard-nosed player who is very competitive and a great athlete. She was one of the most aggressive players on the field each game. She has a great change of direction and really dictates ands controls the pace of the game. She basically set the tone for our midfield."
In addition to taking control of the midfield, Lebedz scored four goals and added two assists on the season.
Bradley was one of Manville’s tri-captains and was the team’s leading scorer with 10 goals and three assists.
"Christine is very quick on her feet, is great around the goal and basically was our best goal-scorer," Shambach said. "She had the best shot and was the best finisher on the team. She just found ways to score and as one of our captains, was a real leader by example."
Brozyna is expected to be one of the team leaders for the 2006 Lady Mustangs next season and, with her work ethic and athleticism, figures to get better and better.
"Marzena is very fast," Shambach said. "She has one of the best ball controls on the team and good touch. Her quickness and anticipation allowed her to control the defense. She was a real disruptive force out there for opposing teams and saved a lot of goals with her defensive ability."
While Shambach is excited to coach Lebedz, Brozyna and a host of other returning players, he is sad to bid farewell to his four seniors Bradley, Robyn Barb, Katrina DeSantis and Danielle Persinko. Barb was the second-leading scorer on the team with five goals and two assists from her midfield position.
"Robyn was one of our tri-captains (along with Bradley and DeSantis) and was a good leader in the locker room and on the field," Shambach said. "She really helped out in the role of maintaining possession, which is really important in the game of soccer. She was a workaholic out there, running up and down the field. She did a good job controlling the tempo and overall was a terrific mentor for the younger players."
DeSantis held down the difficult left fullback position for the Mustangs all season and did a fine job in that role. A vocal leader, she often drew the assignment of checking the opposition’s top offensive player, a role that comes with great responsibility.
"Most team’s top scorers are their right forwards, so as the left fullback, Katrina had a lot on her plate," Shambach said. "Katrina was a real team leader and had a fine senior season."
The contributions of Danielle Persinko will also be missed. The senior was a fiery, aggressive competitor.
"Danielle really stepped up for the team this season," Shambach said. "She is a leader not only on the soccer team but in school as well, a true leader on and off the field. She was our most aggressive player and really got us going with her competitive spirit."
Junior goal Marta Fabiyan, like the entire team, improved as the season wore on. Averaging more than 10 saves per game, Fabiyan will be a seasoned, experienced goalie as a senior in 2006. Even though Manville dropped its final game of the season by a 5-0 count to Mount St. Mary’s, Shambach is extremely positive about his first season as a head coach as he looks back on the 2005 campaign.
"As a coach, it’s kind of like a roller coaster with all of the ups and downs that occur over a season," he said. "I did my best every day and learned a lot. The high points were certainly the big victories, under the lights on the football field, vs. North Plainfield and David Brearley. We lost two overtime games, games that I felt we dominated. But, that’s they way it goes sometimes in soccer.
"In our last practice of the season, I decided to just stand back, relax and enjoy it," Shambach continued. "While the girls were scrimmaging, I reflected back on how they had improved so much during the season. I just enjoyed a few moments watching the girls competing and having so much fun. Even though we lost the last game, it was a fun season and the girls did a great job. I have a lot of new ideas for next year and can’t wait to get started."

