By John Beisser, Sports Writer
Faced with the prospect of replacing seven starters lost to graduation, it took some time for the 2007 South Brunswick High girls soccer team to play its best. In the “better late than never” category, the Vikings gelled late in the season, hitting their stride down the stretch.
While the kick-start finish came up a game short of reaching the NJSIAA Tournament, South Brunswick did manage to pull off a pair of upsets over Sayreville and Woodbridge to reach the semifinals of the GMC Tournament, where the 10th-seeded Vikings were tripped up by third-seeded Old Bridge 5-0.
It all added up to an 8-9-1 season and one satisfied coach.
”I thought the girls really hung together and progressed as the season went along,” said Nancy Ducko, who completed her eighth season at the helm of the Vikings. “I’m proud of the way we finished the season. I’d say it was pretty impressive how we progressed and improved.”
Against Old Bridge, the Vikings knew they would have their hands full as the Knights had defeated them 5-1 earlier in the season. At halftime, Ducko was encouraged, as the Vikings trailed by just a 1-0 count.
”In fact, I thought we had the better of the play in the first half,” said Ducko. “We were right there.”
It all unraveled quickly for South Brunswick, however, during a “knightmarish” seven minute stretch when Old Bridge scored four unanswered goals to put the game away.
”It was almost surreal,” said Ducko in trying to explain what happened over that difficult second half patch. “It was very strange. It’s not like we made a lot of bad errors. It was more a case of every little mistake we make, they capitalized on. They were just getting through some cracks and taking advantage of small openings. We just couldn’t stop them for the period and that was the game.”
Ducko will long remember her five seniors, each of whom demonstrated excellent leadership throughout the season, particularly during the rocky early-going where the season could have gone in any number of directions including south. The seniors, Rachel Gurney, Nicole Heyer, Chelsea Lanaido, Susie Miller and Amanda Previte, will all be missed next season. But the Vikings will return a solid nucleus which just might be able to make some more noise in 2008.
”Some were vocal, some lead more by example, but they all did a great job keeping the team together and serving as role models for the younger girls,” said Ducko.
Heyer, who doubles as a lacrosse standout in the spring, is proud and thankful that her team rebounded from the early season difficulties.
But, then again, she had a different sort of motivation than perhaps her teammates did as her younger brother Michael was a key player on the South Brunswick boys soccer team this season. Call it a dribbling rivalry.
”We bust on each other all the time,” said Heyer. “He got the upper hand because his team made the states. That was the one thing that was disappointing, not making states. But we rebounded well in counties and won those two games.”
No big sister ever wants to be upstaged by her little brother and Heyer is no exception.
”We had a friendly competition,” she added with a laugh. “But we support each other. I went to all of his games that I could and he came to all of our games, the ones he could make.”

