Brains over brawn.
That is what coach Doug Philips will call on this girls’ soccer season at Colts Neck High School.
“The girls are super smart,” Phillips said. “Our ball movement is great. Everyone on the team is very skilled, so it helps. When we move the ball around and communicate well, we’re a hard team to beat.”
But Phillips, who begins his ninth season as the head coach after he spent the previous 10 years as an assistant, is concerned about his team’s physical size.
“Our size is the only area of concern,” Phillips said. “Against bigger teams, it’s hard if they are physical. But again, we make up for it in our ball movement and communication.”
Colts Neck will bid to win a third consecutive Shore Conference Tournament championship this season. A year ago, the Cougars advanced to the Central Jersey, Group 4 state tournament and finished with a 15-3-1 record.
Some key veterans are expected to place Colts Neck among the top teams in the area again this autumn.
Phillips will rely on the senior leadership of Kayla Lee, a midfielder and forward; Lauren Feaster, a defender; Alli Ryan, a defender; and Kristen Gambardella, a midfielder.
“We will look on our captains to lead us,” Phillips said. “Our four captains have loads of experience and played in every championship that we’ve won over the past three years.”
Both Lee and Feaster are on the High School All-American Watch List, while Feaster is also featured in the USA Today All American Watch List.
“We want to go back and win the Shore Conference again,” Lee said. “We want to advance as far as we can in states and have a great season.”
Feaster is anxious to start her final year.
“I want us to work together and make our senior year as memorable as possible,” Feaster said. “We gotta go try to win states and make this year as memorable as our last three years.”
Championships, according to the players, will be attained as a team.
“We need to work together as a team if we’re going to accomplish our goals,” Ryan said. “We can’t have any negative energy on the team. Just be happy and positive with each other. Just work hard. If you’re not willing to work hard, then you shouldn’t be here.”
Trust is another key factor.
“I think that in all the years that we’ve been here, our chemistry has been really good, and that really translates onto the field,” Lee said. “So as long as we work hard together as a team and we work for each other, that will be enough to get it done.”
“We all have one goal, and that’s to win,” Gambardella said. “Because of that, we all get along really well, and it keeps us focused.”
Lee had another rallying cry to her team.
“Desire,” Lee said. “[It all] comes down to that. If we have that and put it all on the line, we’ll get the job done.”
The Cougars open their season at Freehold High School on Sept. 5 at 3:45 p.m.