MHS girls look ahead after tough opener

Delaney hopes team learns from video

By: John E. Powers
   
   Erin Delaney, the first-year head coach of the Manville High School girls’ soccer team, spent several hours over the weekend, viewing an ugly video.
   She hoped it would give her some clues as to why her team was so lethargic in last Friday’s 7-0 season-opening loss to Mount St. Mary Academy in both team’s debut as Skyland Conference Valley Division in Manville.
   The team got a chance to see the game on video Saturday morning.
   "We started out flat," Delaney said. "It was really a rude awakening. It was really a tough game. We basically weren’t ready."
   Mount St. Mary, which beat Manville 5-1 and 5-0 last year when both schools were in the Mount Valley Conference, scored at 4:10, 8:00 and 13:00 of the first half and was quickly in control. The Mount Lions outshot the Lady Mustangs 20-3.
   "We were just too timid," Delaney said. "They came out and were much more aggressive. You could see it on the tape. They were winning all the 50-50s."
   Manville was scheduled to have three games this week – at Belvidere Tuesday and home games with Delaware Valley and North Plainfield Thursday and Friday, respectively. Belvidere opened its season last Friday with a 9-0 win over Bound Brook, while Delaware Valley whipped North Plainfield 6-0 Saturday.
   "We belong in this league, but we have to prove it to the other teams that we belong here," she said. "We’re in it because our athletes need challenges."
   Alinda Yu and Alexa Baird had two goals apiece to lead Mount St. Mary.
   "I went into this game with great expectations and I thought we were ready for them," Delaney said. "I thought we were prepared offensively and defensively, however, we just weren’t aggressive to the ball, we weren’t winning the 50-50s, the throw-ins or goal kicks and we weren’t attacking. It really killed me because were retreating into our bad habits."
   The Mount Lions were aggressive on the attack.
   "Mount St. Mary does a good job of putting it into the corner and putting it over our heads," Delaney said. "They hit the post two or three times."
   The coach said junior goalie Marta Fabiyan and senior sweeper Marzena Brozyna were terrific.
   "Two out of our 11 were ready to play," Delaney said. "We gave them way too much time. We didn’t use the whole field. We were crowded into the middle. We played defense for the majority of the game. We just didn’t get possession of the game."
   Delaney said she has toyed with the idea of moving some players around to improve the team’s offensive attack. Speedy senior forward Lucy Yakobchuk could move back and junior Sam Aichele could move from the middle to a forward.
   ‘We really have to work on our offense," Delaney said.