Midfielder Kayla Bancroft and defender Bridgette Buckalew are deeply familiar with their roles on New Egypt High School’s girls soccer team over the past three seasons, but they will be learning a few new things this fall as preseason workouts began on Aug. 19.
“We’ll be doing some new and different things out there this season,” coach Jennifer Kociuba said.
Kociuba would not reveal exactly what those different things are, but she and new assistant coach Corinne DeVirgilio will be tweaking a few things that they figure the experienced lineup, which lost only two starters, should pick up easily.
“I don’t know what those changes are yet, but I know we’ll be at least as good as last year, if not better,” Bancroft said. “I’m excited. We’re all excited.”
“We have nine seniors, so we’re going to be a help for the team as we get started,” Bukalew said. “That’s our plan on and off the field. We know the drills. For the younger girls who don’t know them, we’ll show them. On defense, we play a flat-back four, so I’ll help show them to keep them on track [with] where they should be.”
As a sophomore, Bancroft played on the team that won the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group I title and then lost to Haddon Township High School in the state semifinals in a 16-7-1 season. It matched the wins of the previous season — a school record for wins at the time when Bancroft, as a freshman, scored a school record of 32 goals.
Bancroft and her upperclassmen teammates are hoping to recapture some of the thunder this season after a quiet campaign last year, when New Egypt lost to Metuchen High School, 2-1, in the sectional semifinals and finished around the middle of the pack in the Burlington County Scholastic League Patriot Division.
“They’re very determined on getting past where they’ve been before,” Kociuba said.
“Our offense has to communicate better,” Bancroft said, as trouble finishing threats held the team back. “We’d get really frustrated out there.”
Bancroft admitted that she joined in the frustration and said she is intent on exercising more patience this season when things don’t go right. She said she has worked even harder to get in better shape. Bancroft said she had a good club season playing with Millstone United.
“Overall, they’re a great group of girls who get along well and don’t have arguments,” Kociuba said. “They’re just as goal-oriented as I am. They really want to win states this year.” The season starts on Sept. 12 at Florence Township Memorial High School. What helps is the uncharacteristically large turnout of 55 girls who came out for the team, a number even more dramatic for a Group I school.
“This program’s growing,” Kociuba said. “We have girls starting to come back who play on travel after some had gone to private school or to play field hockey or run cross-country. Some of those girls came out for soccer this year.”
Kociuba said this is her most seniorheavy class in her seven seasons, which could make them even more intent on leaving their imprint in the league and state tournaments. They include goalkeeper Amber Steen, who recorded seven shutouts last season, midfielder Elena Brown, forward Jamie Soles and midfielder/defender Kat Tinnirello, as well as Jackie Beckett and Emily Garey, who are both able to play different positions.
“We’re working a lot better and communicating better,” said Steen, who played club soccer with the Toms River Force. “I’m coming out more and quickly, and stepping out against breakaways.”
“They definitely want to make their mark,” Kociuba said. “I hope for the best for them. They’re taking responsibility and all the seniors in general put everything out there. They put their heart and soul in every practice.”
“We all play for each other, not one person,” Buckalew said. “We all talk objectively to each other about what we should do. All the seniors feel this year that we want to win it all.”
Beckett said it’s not just the seniors, but the underclassmen who will have a part in any glory won by the team.
“We have younger girls who have a lot of skill, and we need to bring up their confidence,” Beckett said. “We want to be an inspiration to the younger girls that determination and hard work gets results, and we need to give 100 percent in practice. But this is a small town where we all know each other since kindergarten, and it feels like a family. We all want to leave a mark for our school.”
Casey McKenzie and Ashley Brunner, who impressed Kociuba as freshmen last year, could figure into the mix for this season as forwards and midfielders.
They will all point toward the season with scrimmages against Lawrence High School on Aug. 28, Robbinsville High School on Aug. 29 and against Jackson Liberty High School on Aug. 31. There also are scrimmages against Pennsauken High School and Hopewell Valley Central High School on the schedule.