RED BANK CATHOLIC
T he Red Bank Catholic (RBC) High
School girls soccer team returns six starters and several key reserves from a team that won the Shore Conference Tournament, as well the A North Division crown.
Coach Frank Lawrence’s team went 17- 2-3, with both losses coming in the regular season. Along the way, the Caseys won by a 1-0 score on 10 occasions. RBC was eliminated in the opening round of the NJSIAA Non-Public South A tourney by Pingry School after the teams had played to a 1-1 draw after two overtime periods. Pingry converted three penalty kicks to advance.
In past years, RBC was known for putting up big offensive numbers. Last season, the Caseys scored enough goals to get by and managed to avoid being shut out. This time around, Lawrence is hoping his team can put up some more goals to aid what should again be a stellar defensive unit.
RBC returns some more goals from the middle and is looking to junior forward Sophie Demurjian, who entered the lineup late in the season and showed a nice scoring touch.
Defense, however, remains the team’s strong suit, with Jackie Robinson returning in goal. The junior firmly established herself as one of the top netminders in the state. She allowed just two goals over the Caseys’ final 10 games in 2013, recording an incredible 14 shutouts.
“Jackie has started every game for us since she was a freshman, and she keeps getting better,” Lawrence said. “She was the best goalie I saw all year. She impresses me more with every game.”
Robinson will be aided by a defense that returns fullback Kiera Farley, a top-notch positional player who moves the ball well and can join the offense. Farley will be particularly important, as the rest of the backline is relatively inexperienced. Junior Norah Bruther moves up from the junior varsity team, and sophomore Emily Holtz gained valuable experience starting three times a year ago. Brianna Urbanski, a promising freshman, will also see action.
Seniors Christina Balacco and Kelly Jacoby are the outside midfielders. Solid defensively, both players scored three goals last season. Speedy Olivia Lucia, who scored the game-winner in the Caseys’ 1-0 overtime win over Toms River High School South in the Shore Conference Tournament semifinals, is in the middle.
Lawrence said he is not sure if he will line up four or five players in the middle, but there is plenty of depth. Seniors Jenna Murcado and Sabrina Graziano both saw plenty of action last fall, and the coach said that the versatile Murcado might start up front. Junior Emily Leniart and sophomore Amber Morin round out the midfield corps.
“Our team is still adjusting to each other, and I’m looking to determine our real strengths,” Lawrence said. “The players will dictate the system we use. We want to be strong both ways in the middle, and we’ll have our fullbacks going forward.”
Junior striker Samantha Starlanzani, who is coming off a strong showing with the junior varsity team, is expected to aid the attack, as is freshman Gyllissa Harris.
“Scoring will probably be a challenge, at least early in the season,” the coach said. “It’s hard to score goals, and I’m confident the girls will score. If it was easy, we’d be seeing a lot of 8-7 scores, and that doesn’t happen.”
This season, RBC will compete in the B North Division, which includes quality teams like Colts Neck High School, Ocean Township High School and Wall High School.
“They’re all good teams, and it will be a strong division,” he added. “We’ve played most of them before, so we know they’re all tough.”
Lawrence’s team will open the season on Sept. 9 at home against Mater Dei Prep.