McLaughlin continues to create

Sophomore’s assists help South top North girls’ soccer

By: Bob Nuse
   Chris Miller isn’t about to take credit for what Maura McLaughlin brings to the field for the West Windsor-Plainsboro South girls’ soccer team.
   "I think she came with those skills," laughed Miller, who is fortunate to have the sophomore as her center midfielder. "She sets people up. Se commands so much attention that it opens things up for the other girls. One of the things that we’ve had is that different people score every game."
   On Monday night, McLaughlin assisted on both goals as WW-P South topped rival WW-P North, 2-0, at Mercer County Community College. First, the sophomore set up Lauren Ruta for a goal to break a scoreless tie in the first half. Then she made a save of a ball near the end line to set up freshman Molly Wadlinger with her first varsity goal.
   The two assists gave her 10 for the season to go with her team-high 12 goals. As a freshman, McLaughlin was second on the team with 15 goals and added a team-high 14 assists. Many of those players from a year ago graduated, including Maura’s older sister, Kelly. But this year’s edition hasn’t missed a beat, improving to 10-2 with the win over North.
   "I miss my sister and playing with her," McLaughlin said. "But this year is a special team. We all really bond and fit together well. It’s a special team. We’re all very close on and off the field. I think a lot of it was the pre-season. The seniors were very welcoming and the juniors were as well. I think everyone felt really comfortable."
   As impressive as McLaughlin has been on the field, Miller gives a lot of the credit for this year’s success to her senior class, which has more than its share of leaders.
   "My seniors have been amazing," Miller said. "The leadership on this team is a bunch of glue-to-the-team, hard-nosed, hard-working girls. They never quit. They never get frazzled. Since freshman year they have gotten better and better and better. That senior group is a sheer joy to coach because they are so unselfish. And when you get someone like Maura, who is so unselfish, to fit in with all of them, it’s great. They love her and she loves them."
   And McLaughlin loves helping the team win, whether it’s with a goal or an assist or just finding a way to get the ball to someone to set up a goal or an assist.
   "It’s all the same to me as long as we score and get the result that is best for the team," McLaughlin said. "It doesn’t matter to me who puts it in."
   And even though McLaughlin is just a sophomore, she plays with the savvy of someone who has been around a whole lot longer.
   "I think last year definitely helped," she said. "It was fun to play with my sister and that was familiar to me. This year a lot of the same players are back and it’s the same. Our whole defense line is the same except for Erin (Simon), the sweeper. If not better, then it’s just as good this year as it was last year."
   While McLaughlin leads the team with her 12 goals, there are six other players who have scored at least three goals this season for the Pirates. With McLaughlin commanding so much attention, it certainly opens up the field for other players to score.
   "The other players can put it in the net just as well," McLaughlin said. "And the two people I play with up top are very similar, Bailey Mintz and Rose Dzugan, so it’s not like it changes very much. I love playing with them. They’re hard workers and a lot of fun to play with."