You can say that the Marlboro High School girls soccer team was sick and tired of losing and wasn’t going to take it anymore.
A four-win season in 2006 in which the Mustangs lost one game after another was the final insult for the Mustangs.
“They were sick of losing,” said coach Tim McGeough. “They worked hard in the offseason. They knew they had let so many games get away.”
Marlboro lost seven one-goal games last fall.
If the opening-game scoreless tie with a veteran Colts Neck team didn’t capture anyone’s attention, the Mustangs’ 2-1 win over Middletown North, the A North Division defending champions, should have. That was followed by yet another impressive win, 1-0 in overtime over traditional power Manalapan that has completely shaken the division up.
“We’re playing with confidence,” said McGeough. “We knew it was important to do well at the start of the season. That was one of our goals.”
The Mustangs scored the first two goals of the match against Middletown North, played on their home pitch, and then held the Lions off the rest of the game to score the season’s biggest earlyseason surprise.
Maria Antonios scored 33 minutes into the match against the Lions, and five minutes later Megan DiCicco scored the game-winner.
Against Manalapan, Heather Roe scored with just 90 seconds left in the second overtime to lift Marlboro to the big win on the road. Lauren Kursh assisted on the tally that left Marlboro at 3-0-1.
While the Mustangs may not have experienced much success in ’06, they did return 12 players from that team who had finally had a grasp of what McGeough expected of them and who had played well enough in the losses to know that they weren’t lacking in talent.
“It’s just the consistency of the girls working hard,” McGeough said of the Mustangs’ fast start. “This year, the pieces fell together. The girls knew how to prepare.
“The girls were very relaxed and enthusiastic [at the start of practice],” he added. “They were confident we could turn it around.”
One thing the string of one-goal losses did was force the girls to realize that a change was needed.
“It all starts from the back on defense,” said McGeough. “We wanted a chain reaction starting the offense from the back.
“It takes trust in the defense for everyone to move forward with short passes,” he added.
Making it easier for the team to trust in the defense is the experience the Mustangs have there, returning all four starters, including sweeper Andrea Rehr and stopper Ariel Mandell. They are flanked by backs Jocelyn Bellemare and Nicole Pecora.
“We had to limit the little mistakes,” said McGeough.
The Mustangs’ defenders have been doing just that. Because of the experience they’ve gained playing together, they are covering for each other and accounting for everyone in the Marlboro zone.
Goalie Lauren Panfile has stepped up and has been a big contributor to the team’s outstanding defensive effort. She has been scored upon just one time.
“She had a desire to prove that she can be the difference in one-goal games,” Mc- Geough said of Panfile. “She’s come up big for us.”
Never bigger than against Manalapan: the Braves outshot Marlboro 29- 10, but Panfile made 26 saves, keeping Manalapan off the board and allowing the team to win in double overtime.
Marlboro’s midfielders have been pressing the attack, moving the ball forward. Kursh, Chelsea Buttacavoli and Logan DiCicco have been controlling the ball and creating scoring chances for the team’s forwards. Newcomer Allyson Calascibetta and Ashley Boyce have been providing depth.
Up front, Antonios and freshman Amanda Green have provided an unexpected spark. Antonios is coming off a serious knee injury. McGeough wasn’t sure how much she could contribute this year, but the heart that got her back on the pitch has carried over to her teammates. Green, as a freshman, came out of nowhere, her coach pointed out.
Roe, who scored the only goal of the match against Manalapan, is a sophomore who plays forward/midfield.
McGeough knows that in the demanding A North Division, the Mustangs will hit some bumps along the way. However, he is confident that his team will be able to overcome them.
“The character of this team is never giving up and always trying,” he said.
Just ask Colts Neck, Middletown North and Manalapan. They know firsthand about the Mustangs’ character.

