By Wayne Witkowski
Jackson Memorial High School girls soccer coach Drew Gibson realizes that the next few weeks are pivotal to the team’s success.
“We started off 1-3 last season. We did not have the best scrimmages and came out slow last season and the past few seasons,” Gibson said. “This year, our scrimmages are very difficult. I hope it prepares us better.”
That becomes evident with two big Shore Conference A South Division games on the road at the start — a Sept. 8 opener at rival Brick Memorial High School and a Sept. 12 game against Toms River High School South kicking off at 7 p.m. Brick Memorial split last year’s games, avenging a 5-0 loss with a 3-2 victory later in the season. The Jaguars finished 9-5 in the conference.
Only two players graduated from last year’s team that lost its last three games in finishing 11-9-1, including a Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinals loss to Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School, 1-0, and a defeat in the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group IV opener against Washington Township, 2-1. Those graduates are Daria Jones, who led the team with eight goals and is playing at NCAA Division I program Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, and defender Sam Wanzor, who is off to a college career at Wilmington University.
Gibson said he has high expectations with many players back, which explains the tough preseason that starts Aug. 24 with a tri-scrimmage with Cinnaminson High School at Eastern Regional High School and additional scrimmages Aug. 26 with formidable Freehold Township High School, Aug. 31 against Pinelands Regional High School, Sept. 1 against Manalapan High School and Sept. 6 against Wall High School.
Tim Schenck and Sean Bayha are returning as assistant coaches.
“We’re playing top teams. We should be ready to go,” Gibson said. “The [players’] work rate is crazy. We’re putting pressure on the kids, and they’ve shown high energy. I hope to get a lot of pressure [from] up top.”
That would come from returning starter Emily Jacoby, who scored seven goals, and Alyssa Fernandez, who saw a lot of action last season. Both will be juniors this fall.
Last year’s team allowed 20 goals, but seven of them came in the 1-3 start. Gibson said the back third of the field is where the Jaguars’ success begins.
Rachel Colt returns for her fourth season in goal in a career plagued by injuries along the way. She sat out the end of last season when Kylie Sullivan, who will be a junior, stepped into the starting spot. Senior Karyssa Niedt also brings starting game experience to goal.
“A lot of people were just getting in the groove last season,” Jacoby said.”But we did well and do it with hard work. Coach Gibson believes in conditioning. It’s the type of team that once we get one goal, we’ll keep on scoring.”
Three starters return on defense, including speedy Cassie Collimore, a senior this fall who led the team in assists last season with eight as an outside back; Kaysie Louro, who started as a freshman in the middle last season; and rising sophomore Corryn Eckel, who is practicing with some promising upperclassmen for the other two starting positions in the 4-4-2 configuration.
Senior Caitlyn Fogarty and junior Madison Taylor started in the midfield last year. Lindsay Bathmann, a junior who started as a freshman and worked her way back on the field later in the season while recovering from a knee injury, is practicing hard for playing time along with Carissa Eckel, who will be a junior, and incoming freshman Natalie Knauf, who Gibson said is right in the mix.
“I feel we have good leadership this year. They’re on the same page with what they want to do and have a positive attitude,” Gibson said. “There is a lot of competition in spots, so they’ll push each other. We’re pretty solid in the back and if the midfield shapes up as a unit and distributes the ball to the outside midfielders and forwards, the people up front can create a lot of pressure and problems for the other teams’ people in the back.
“It was difficult getting used to each other in the beginning, but we’re getting more comfortable with each other off the field and hope that carries onto the field,” Jacoby said. “It’s a whole team effort.”
“I think we’re good in all positions,” Gibson said.
That will be determined very quickly in the upcoming weeks.