It can’t come as good news for future Colts Neck High School opponents that the girls soccer team still hasn’t played at its best.
Despite that, the Cougars are 6-0-1 and look every bit the team that many expect to compete for a state championship like it did last year.
“We are definitely getting closer to putting a full 80 minutes together,” head coach Doug Phillips said.
It took an overtime win against rival Wall High School to drive the point home to the girls that they can’t let up, Phillips said. They stormed out to a 3-0 lead on Wall after just 25 minutes, then relaxed and saw the Crimson Knights scored three unanswered goals on them to send the match into overtime. The Cougars escaped with a 4-3 victory after Frankie Tagliaferri nailed the game-winner in overtime.
“We have upped our level considerably since then as well as made some formation and personnel adjustments that are really working well,” Phillips said.
Colts Neck went into the 2015 season with a lot of expectations. The Cougars were coming off a 20-3 season that included the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III championship and a trip to the Group III finals. They also had a loaded returning lineup that included USA National U17 team member Tagliaferri, Amanda Visco (USA U19 team camp) and Allison Russo. The trio led the Player Developmental Academy Arsenal U17 team to the Elite Clubs National League national championship this summer.
The Cougars, however, are not concerned about what expectations others have for them. Phillips pointed out that they are their biggest critics and they expect to perform.
Performing sometimes means playing without Tagliaferri and Visco because of their national team commitments.
One player who really stepped up earlier this year during Tagliaferri’s absence was Bridgette King. She delivered seven goals in the three games Tagliaferri missed and leads the team with 12 goals.
“Bridgette is getting more looks, and she is finishing them,” Phillips said. “Her work ethic and attitude is off the charts lately.”
Phillips pointed to other players stepping up as well. Russo has scored three goals and Kayla Lee leads the team in assists with five. A freshman, Isabella Fitzhenry has found the back of the net.
The Cougars went 2-0-1 without their great forward.
Tagliaferri has been nothing short of exceptional. She scored a hat trick in each of the Cougars’ first three games and returned to action on Sept. 24, scoring twice and assisting on four goals in a 7-0 win over Ocean Township High School.
“Frankie is absolutely on another level from last year both skill- and confidencewise,” Phillips said. “She really has the fire and killer instinct I have wanted to see come out.
“You can tell if she gets frustrated that her level now goes into another gear.”
Visco, meanwhile, is the pillar of the Cougars defense.
The good news for the Cougars is that both Tagliaferri and Visco will be in the lineup when the Shore Conference Tournament and state playoffs come around.
The Cougars are not thinking about the postseason at the moment.
“We are absolutely focused on a onegame at-a-time mentality now, but we have goals and we just need to win games to get there,” Phillips said.
Colts Neck had an important non-Shore Conference game Sept. 28 at undefeated East Brunswick High School, a state-ranked Greater Middlesex Conference power.
On Sept. 30, the Cougars will have the rematch with Wall in Colts Neck. This match will go a long way toward deciding the B North Division championship, which was won last year by the Cougars.
Colts Neck gets its rematch with Red Bank Catholic Red Bank Oct. 6.