The Sayreville High School’s girls soccer team earned a share of the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) White Division championship and also won four more games than a year ago.
The Bombers went 14-5 overall, good for a tie atop the White Division with Woodbridge. The two teams split a pair of regular season games, each by a score of 3-2. Sayreville also split a pair of games with a revitalized Monroe team.
“This year represented a big jump for us in terms of improvement,” said third-year coach Leah Craig. “We have a lot of good young players coming up in the program and we’re very excited about the future.”
The blue and gray’s 2009 edition featured a balanced scoring attack and a defense, led by goalie Ally Cuozo, that recorded eight shutouts. Sayreville defeated J.P. Stevens in the opening round of the GMC tourney, but fell to Bishop Ahr in the quarterfinals. The Bombers dropped a 3-2 decision against Colts Neck in the NJSIAA Central Group IV Tournament.
Three players scored 10 or more goals, with Jolise Aponte leading the way with 19 goals and nine assists in her third varsity campaign. Heather Roy, in her fourth year as a starter, scored 16 times and added five assists.Aponte and Roy both served as captains. Freshman Fahreta Kolenovic pumped in 12 goals and added four assists, despite suffering a season-ending knee injury midway point. In addition, Amanda Mathisen scored nine times and recorded six assists.
Sayreville’s midfield included its third captain, Jules Burns, who played well and posted four assists, in returning from a torn ACL she suffered last season. Juniors Staci Jankielewicz and Sarah Barnes, who scored
the game-winner against Woodbridge, were solid throughout. Both scored three times with Jankielewicz adding nine assists and Barnes posting seven helpers. In addition to playing well in goal, Cuozo occasionally played up front, picking up a goal against Colonia. While, she will graduate, several key defenders will be back including juniors Brittany Nowicki,, Kristen Batko, Kim Moken
and Danielle Hagan, who usually marks the opposition’s top offensive player. Sophomore Sarah Buscar also returns.
The coach noted that juniors Rachel Harning a fullback, and Briana Heatai, a midfielder, are likely to join the varsity team next season. A pair of freshman forwards who excelled for the JV team, Nicolette Craig and Alexis Rhamdajan, are candidates for the varsity as well.
“Our team has come a long way and we’re very proud of winning the White Division,” Craig said. “Our goal is to keep getting better and to be a force in the conference and state tournaments.