Shore Regional High School is a girls’ soccer powerhouse.
The Blue Devils won the NJSIAA Group 1 championship in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
But they were denied a fourth straight state championship on Nov. 14 at Paul VI High School in Haddonfield, losing to Audubon High School, 2-1, in the Group 1 state semifinals.
Shore Regional did not go down without a fight, pressuring the Audubon box and net throughout the second half as it tried to net the equalizer. The Blue Devils just could not break through and tie the game.
“In the second half the girls dominated and had many chances. We just didn’t convert,” said Shore Regional coach George Moutis. “There’s only so much you can do. We hit the post three times. We dominated. It’s unfortunate.”
It was a hard luck loss, and after the game, the Blue Devils were understandably upset. Many walked off the field with tears welling up in their eyes.
But the loss did not ruin a great season. In 2018, Shore Regional went 17-6 and won the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group 1 sectional tournament title, beating Point Pleasant Beach High School, 2-0, on Nov. 9 in the championship game.
A group of talented seniors led the Blue Devils this year. Frankie McDonough paced Shore Regional with 23 goals and 14 assists. Hannah Birdsall added 12 assists and eight goals. Goalkeeper Julia Valinoti made 180 saves and recorded seven shutouts.
“The seniors have done a great job. It’s unfortunate to lose in the semifinals, but you can’t win everything,” Moutis said. “We had a very good season. We had great players and great talent.”
Shore Regional lit up the scoreboard in 2018, scoring 76 goals in 23 games, an average of 3.3 per contest. And even though the Blue Devils were led by their senior class, they have plenty of strong offensive players returning next year.
Junior Julia Eichenbaum posted 22 goals and eight assists in 2018. Mia Agresti (four goals, six assists), Chloe Wollman (four goals, three assists), Eliza Ford (three goals, one assist) and Meli Pekmezian (eight assists, two goals) will all be back, too.
Freshman goalkeeper Parker Grimm should replace Valinoti. Grimm got some varsity experience this fall, making 24 saves.
Overall, Shore Regional will have plenty of talent back to make another run at the state group championship in 2019.
“We’re losing some great seniors, so it’s going to be tough,” Moutis said. “But I do have a good young crowd.”
Next year is next year, though, and Moutis wasn’t fully ready to look forward after the game on Nov. 14. He wanted to acknowledge his seniors a little more. Not many classes reach the state group tournament four straight times.
“This has to be one of our best senior classes,” Moutis said. “Most of these girls were on varsity for four years.”
Shore Regional will especially miss McDonough, one of the best players in program history.
“She’s one of a kind. She had an amazing career. Not too many kids score 100 (career) goals, but she did it,” Moutis said. “She’s a tremendous player.”