By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
Charlotte Glancey and her fellow seniors on the Montgomery High girls’ soccer team are doing their best to help rebuild the program.
The Cougars, who were 2-15 a year ago, picked up their third victory of this season when they topped Pennsauken, 5-0, on Wednesday. And while a 3-9-1 record isn’t what the team had hoped for at this point in the season, they can see progress.
“We have had some tough overtime losses, but everyone is still fighting hard and I think we are connecting well as a team,” said Glancey, who had a pair of assists in the victory on Wednesday. “We have been close against some tough teams.
“I think, especially this year, our mentality is really important. Our mental toughness and staying engaged in the game and knowing every play matters. I think we have been doing better with that throughout the season. It’s still not as good as we could get it. I want to make sure we’re all giving it our all every time.”
Sarah Cudmore, Abby Halder, Palmer McNally, Kira Pancha and Sophia Van Mol each scored goals in the decision over Pennsauken. The victory was a nice bounce back after losing a tough, 1-0, decision to Franklin last Saturday in the Somerset County Tournament.
“We had a tough beginning of the season with our schedule,” said Montgomery coach Jen Elgin, whose team will host Hillsborough on Tuesday. “We played some powerhouses. Coming from last year to this year we have been in every single game. Even the ones we are losing we have had opportunities to put it away but unfortunately we just couldn’t finish.
“(The SCT game against Franklin) was a very hard-fought battle and the game could have gone either way.”
Glancey, who has been with the varsity since she was a freshman, has seen progress on the field. She also can see a bright future for the Cougars, who have a wealth of young talent on the team.
“There are a lot of really good underclassmen coming up that are ready to take leadership positions,” Glancey said. “I think that we have been building and it is better off than when we got here.
“I would really like to see some wins. We have been playing really well and sometimes it hasn’t been translated onto the scoreboard. I really want to see us finish our opportunities and win some games and finish strong.”
The Cougar seniors are doing their best to see the season end well. They’d like to leave the program in a good situation as the team looks to the future.
“These were my freshmen my first year in the program,” said Elgin, who is in her second season as the Montgomery head coach after two years as an assistant. “Just watching them grow has been such a pleasure. They have helped change the program for the better. Their freshman year we only had a varsity team for the whole program. They have seen it grow and have been a big we’re still standing.”
Glancey, like her classmates, will hate to see the season end. And she’s hoping the Cougars can finish strong this season. Six of Montgomery’s nine losses this year have been by two goals or less.
“I really love the experience,” said Glancey, who shares the team lead with Cudmore with five goals this season. “I think that each year we just keep getting closer and closer. The chemistry on the field is going to be helped a lot by the chemistry off the field. I think we are improving that and we just keep going up.
“I’ll miss it. It has been a really great part of my high school experience. It’s been like a family every day coming out to the turf and kicking it around is the best part of my day.”
