By Justin Feil, Packet Media Group
Most players would say they’re willing to do anything to help their team win.
Emily Washbourn has done it for the Hillsborough High School girls soccer team. The outside back picked up her first goal of the season and first in two seasons with quite a sacrifice. She charged in as a North Hunterdon defender tried to clear the ball, but it went right off Washbourn for a goal.
“It whammed into my face,” said Washbourn. “I really wanted to score. I’m willing to put my face on the line.”
Washbourn has been contributing since she was a freshman for the Raiders, and they have been able to count on her steady play and now her leadership as one of their team captains.
“She’s been great with keeping everyone focused at practice and keeping the morale strong,” said Hillsborough head coach LeeAnn Best. “She’s a very positive person. She’s taken that and tried to be more vocal. The team responds to her because she’s a warm person. I think she’s taken a big sister role. Her sister is a freshman on the team. She’s been one of the ones that hasn’t been injured. Her fitness level is good and she’s so level-headed, she’s one of those kids you root for.”
Washbourn is adjusting to her new role as a captain and to having her sister, Erin, on the team with her this year.
“I love having my sister on the team,” Emily Washbourn said. “I didn’t know what to expect. We’ve had siblings in the past. I love having her. I’m such a mom. All the girls on the team are like my little sisters. I would do anything for them. Having that with my sister helps me act the same way toward every single girl.
“It’s great being a captain. It’s different. It’s weird, but it’s a great role to have. I like embracing it. I like being someone they can look up to. If I can fill that role, it’s something I’ll gladly accept.”
So far, Washbourn has been an ideal leader. She has been out there every game for a Raiders team that was bit by the injury bug early coming out of the preseason. After falling to Hunterdon Central and Hopewell Valley in their first two games of the year, Hillsborough bounced back with a 7-1 win over North Hunterdon and a 6-3 win over Phillipsburg.
“By North Hunterdon, we started getting on the attack,” Washbourn said. “The P-burg game, everything came together. I think we can use that confidence from the scoring to play against Bridgewater (today).”
Lauren Mazich had a pair of goals and an assist against North Hunterdon, Alanna Ryan had a goal, Maddie Vailhe scored a goal, Amelia Curtis had a goal and assist, Cameron Howell had a goal and Washbourn scored her face-first goal. Alana Baron had two assists, Olivia Panagos had an assist as did Kate Swetz. Olivia Bandola had to make just two saves. Carly Swetz and Mazich had two goals apiece in the win over Phillipsburg, while Curtis and Kristen Malebranch had a goal apiece. Delaney Smith and Washbourn chipped in with assists. Bandola made three saves.
“We kind of opened it up the last couple games,” Best said. “We’re still not getting shutouts. We’re still letting in goals because we have some injuries and new people playing. We need to cut down on other team’s chances. We need to organize a little better in the back and I think we’ll do OK.”
Washbourn is one of the leaders in the trying to shore up the back. Even though she plays center midfield for her club team, she has adjusted well to being an outside back for a defense that is supposed to be the strength of Hillsborough. She is also supposed to get in on the offense when she sees a chance.
“Being able to play as outside mid helps with how Best wants us to play on the outside and cross the ball,” Washbourn said. “I’ve always been defensive minded. I’ve played everything except forward. I like to think I know how everything works. That helps me play anywhere.”
This year, Washbourn is taking more of the set pieces and the corner kicks. It’s how she picked up her first assist of the season — the first of her career.
“I’m hoping to keep being able to get in the attack and get some more assists and goals if the opportunity presents itself,” Washbourn said, adding, “Sometimes you have that perfect ball and no one puts it in and it’s frustrating. Getting on the board is great. It never worked out.”
She’s looking to contribute at both ends of the field. The Raiders will need better defense today to take down Bridgewater.
“I know we were all disappointed,” Washbourn said of the goals allowed. “The original back four we’re pretty experienced and we like playing with each other. You never want to let in goals. I think we just need to get our back four healthy. Even though some freshmen and sophomores have done a good job filling in for Kristen, it’s not the same as working with the people you’ve been working with for three years. We have to communicate more and start sliding more and pick up our men when they’re running down the field, that’ll help us a lot.”
Washbourn will be trying to do whatever she can to contribute. As an experienced veteran, she knows more is expected of her.
“I have had to step up and communicate more it the team,” Washbourn said. “We have sort of a relatively young team and we have a team that’s learning and coming on for varsity more. I’m trying to communicate and hoping to keep up the morale when we go down. Someone has to be the one to keep it up and say, I know we can come back. I want to be a confidence booster.”
Once they return to full strength, the Raiders are confident that they have the potential to play with anyone in their conference. They have players who were able to score last year back in the mix, and they have gotten a lift from the play of Vailhe.
“I think we found our attacking mid, Maddie Vailhe, who started our last two games and we won them both — I think she had a lot to do with it,” Best said. “She’s been playing the right balls, she’s been keeping possession in the middle. She has a goal and assist.
“We have a bunch of different scorers,” she added. “We kept emphasizing in order to be amazing in this league, we need different people to step up.”
And after an 0-2 start, the Raiders had a heart-to-heart talk about getting back on track. They have come out and won handily, but today they face a tougher test.
“I definitely think we’re heading in the right direction,” Washbourn said. “The first two games, when we lost we figured we had nothing to lose. That mentality helped our preparation, we were thinking we couldn’t lose our third game in a row. It helped us build that foundation. We don’t want to go through that again, losing game after game. I think that’ll help us going forward to make us a stronger team.”
Washbourn is extra motivated to finish her high school career strong before she eyes playing club soccer in college. She would like nothing more than to help lead the Raiders to a big year, and she’s proven that she will do anything she can to make her last year her best.
“It’s really a change,” Washbourn said. “You come into it thinking it’ll be the same. Now that I’m a senior and captain, I don’t have anyone else to look up to. I have to help the freshman and sophomores and juniors. I have to give them someone to look up to.”
