Brookdale Community College’s (BCC) women’s soccer team began the 2007 season as a marked squad.
Brookdale’s women’s soccer team hopes to equal or surpass last year’s stellar campaign. As if being the national runner-up last year weren’t enough, Frank Lawrence’s Jersey Blues began the season No. 3 in the junior college coaches’ poll. That’s just fine with him.
“Being No. 3 in the coaches’ poll creates high expectations,” Lawrence said. “It’s a lot to live up to.
“Our expectations should be high,” he added. “We lost four great players, but the depth we have coming in is impressive.”
The incoming talent has joined a large returning contingent from last year’s squad (the Blues lost just four players), which has made this the deepest team Lawrence has had at BCC. It has presented him a dilemma that all coaches would love to have.
“We have very tough competition to make the team and starting assignments,” he pointed out. “It’s a nice problem to have.”
While Brookdale has talent up and down the field, it is more concentrated at midfield than anywhere else. As a result, his team will have a different look this fall.
“Our strength is the midfield without question,” said Lawrence. “We’re going to have a new alignment. We’ll go with three defenders.”
One of those defenders is returner Erin McDonald (Red Bank Regional). Last year, she marked the opposition’s leading scorer and took pride in shutting them down.
“She’s amazing,” noted Lawrence. “She really knows how to defend by denying the ball. She’s a dream kid to coach.”
Two newcomers will fill the other two spots, led by Annie Peraggine, who was a four-year starter at Manalapan. She’ll step right in at sweeper.
Katie James (Howell) is the other frosh starter. Kara Cahill (Monmouth Regional) and Sarah O’Dwyer (Wall) will allow Lawrence to have a solid rotation in the back.
What Lawrence expects from his defense is a unit that will challenge shots and keep the shots on goal down, control the ball and push the ball forward, starting the transition from defense to offense.
In the goal, the Blues only have an All-National Tournament selection in sophomore Melissa Scaduto (Freehold Township). Scaduto allowed just 0.43 goals a game last year and really stood out at the national championships.
Lawrence has managed to strengthen the position, believe it or not, by providing a quality backup in Feliz Cardenas (Long Branch).
All-Region XIX returner Kelly Ackerman (Freehold Borough) heads the talented group of midfielders. She is the leading returning goal-scorer from last year with eight.
Liz Walling (Manasquan) is a defensive middie who is good in the air and at ball control. Jenna Lippi (Middletown North) is another midfielder with defensive skills. She is very good on corners and set pieces with her height.
Annie Willman, a Monmouth Regional grad who transferred from William Paterson, is a distributing playmaker.
Among the newcomers is Laura Strempek (Freehold Township). Like Walling and Willman, she is a fine, twoway player in the middle.
Sophomore Rosanna Canale (Shore Regional) will reunite with her sister Adriana Canale, a freshman, at midfield.
Jaimie Costa (Raritan) rounds out the deep midfield unit.
Lawrence will throw 90 minutes of fury at opponents with his midfield depth.
“We’re going to have fresh legs,” he remarked. “I’m going to be sending them in in waves.
“I don’t see a drop-off at all when I substitute,” he added.
Up top, Johanna Lovallo (Old Bridge) is the most dangerous returner. She was outstanding as a playmaker in 2006. Lawrence is looking for her to score more goals this year.
Liz Grimaldi (Rumson-Fair Haven), who was the first player off the bench last year, will now start.
Brookdale does return three of its top five leading scorers from last year, but the bad news is that the top two graduated. The biggest challenge facing the Blues is increasing their scoring output.
“There is pressure to come up with scoring,” said Lawrence.
One thing in BCC is overall height and aggressiveness in the box. The Blues will be dangerous on corner kicks.
Rounding out the 2007 Jersey Blues are defender Courtney Settle (Raritan), midfield/forward Natasha Arena (Holmdel), defender Kimberly Mairs (Matawan), midfielder Jill Muhlenbruck (Point Pleasant Borough)
and forward Courtney Rosado (Class Academy, Long Branch).
The 2007 Region XIX tournament begins Oct. 20 with
the final Oct. 23 at Mercer College.
This year’s District Championship, which sends the winner to the national championships, is Oct. 27 at the home of the District XIX champion.
Last fall, BCC beat Ocean, 1-0, for the Region crown and Nassau (Long Island) for the Northeast District championship.
The Blues lost to Richland, Texas, in the national title game.