GIRLS SOCCER
By Mike Molaro, Sports Writer
Turning what started out as a negative into a positive, the Lawrence High School girls soccer squad quickly got into the win column and set the stage for what could be an exciting season.
The Cardinals, who dropped their season opener 5-0 at Princeton last Friday, regrouped, reloaded, and refocused for a solid 3-1 triumph over visiting Bordentown last Saturday.
Junior midfielder Jen Korngut had a pair of goals while sophomore forward Marissa Walachy scored her first varsity goal and added an assist to lead Lawrence past the Scotties. Junior goalie Nicole Krawczyk, starting for injured sophomore Nikki Eversberg, turned aside 18 shots to earn her first varsity victory.
”This was good game for us,” Cardinal head coach Dave Boggs said. “We did a lot of talking about the Princeton game and a lot of things we didn’t do well against Princeton we did well against Bordentown.”
”We worked hard on offense and defense,” added Boggs. “We played back-to-back games on two very hot days but we played through that. The girls deserved this win.”
Using an opportunistic offense and smothering defense, Lawrence picked up its first win with a top-to-bottom team effort.
”(Freshman forward)) Rachel Darbee and (junior midfielder) Molly Goodell played very well,” added Boggs. “Our defense did a great job with (sophomores) Nikki Tracy and Tracy Immordino and (juniors) Anna Brownschidle and Kari Van Treuren given Bordentown nothing to work with. Jen’s first goal was a beautiful goal off a blast. Nicole was there for us all game in goal. She has been working hard. She has been waiting for her opportunity and made the most of it.”
Although the Scotties, who hit the crossbar twice, tried to break the Cardinal defense, Lawrence wouldn’t be denied.
”Bordentown is always a physical team, “Boggs said. “The girls stayed with it and pushed themselves hard. We worked hard and it paid off.”
The Little Tigers opened a 3-0 halftime lead to seal the win but it was what happened after the game that turned things around for the Cardinals.
”We realized after the Princeton game that you can’t give teams a lot of space,” added Boggs. “We knew we had to work harder. We definitely learned some things in this game.”We had to play tougher and play harder. We talked about being tougher defensively.”
What could’ve been a mental and physical demoralizer for the Cardinals was used as a positive learning experience. The results, as they say, speak for themselves.
NOTES: The Cardinals host Notre Dame tomorrow at 6 p.m. at Zimmer Field and visit Ewing Saturday at 11 a.m. Tuesday’s game at Nottingham was postponed because of rain and rescheduled for yesterday (Wednesday).
Eversberg started against Princeton but pulled a muscle and was replaced by Krawczyk in the second half.
Lawrence continued a 14-year tradition by watching the Rutgers University women’s soccer team host Monmouth last Sunday at Piscataway.
”We began this during my first year as coach and every year we watch the Rutgers women,” said Boggs. “It’s something that brings the team closer.”

