It didn’t take long for the returning players on the Hun School girls’ soccer team to start looking forward to the 2014 season.
Advancing to the state Prep A finals last fall after starting the season at 0-7 left the team’s returners with a heavy dose of optimism.
“The mood is good, even from when the season ended last year knowing that we were losing only two players,” said Hun second-year head coach Joanna Hallac, who guided Hun to a 7-12-1 record in 2013. “They were feeling good about the direction of the program.”
Things have continued to move in the right direction as the Raiders have enjoyed a productive preseason.
“They are seeing good players coming in and the returning players making a lot of improvement,” said Hallac, noting that a strong group of freshmen have joined the program.
“It could be a special season. A big if is if we stay healthy; we have had difficulty doing that in the past. We have a little depth this year.”
That depth is evident at forward, where Hun will feature precocious freshman Kara Borden, junior Marleigh Nociti, senior Paige McGuire, and senior Becky Barus.
“We have a lot of forwards, it is a good problem to have,” said Hallac, whose team opens its 2014 campaign by hosting South Brunswick on September 13.
“Kara Borden has raised the level for the older girls. She has a real nose for the goal; she knows how to finish. Marleigh, Paige, Becky will all see action.”
The pair of Lehigh-bound senior Jess Sacco and promising freshman Nicole Apuzzi are showing a nose for the ball in the midfield.
“Jess will be center midfielder; she is such a calming influence,” said Hallac, who will also use junior Sophia Sauma, sophomore Natalie Csapo, sophomore Abby Gray, and freshman Kennedy Debow in the midfield.
“She is more defensive but she can go forward; she can help instigate things. Nicole Apuzzi is the attacking midfielder, she is a really strong player.”
One of Hun’s strongest players is Lehigh-bound senior defender Ashley Maziarz.
“Ashley is much like Olivia Braender-Carr,” said Hallac, referring to the team’s senior star last year who is currently playing at NYU. “She is very dependable. She is a great leader and a great defender. She can help offensively, she is good in the air on corner kicks. She can make those runs.”
Hun has some other good options on the back line. “Jess Johnson is the other center back; she is very graceful and very fluid,” added Hallac, noting that junior Amanda Douglas will also see time on defense.
“She is a very smart defender and she can be an offensive threat too. Kendall Dandridge is one of the outside backs and Julia Salerno is the other. Kendall can get up the field and makes some great crosses. She is also a great defender. Julia is just solid.”
At goalie, junior Courtney Arch has developed into a solid performer. “Courtney has been doing very well,” said Hallac, who has freshman Livia Kooker as the back-up goalie.
“I am really happy with her progress. She is communicating better; she is taking command in the box. Livia is pretty good, they will push each other.”
In order to build on last year’s progress, Hun will need to be more pushy around the goal and more intense on defense.
“We need to take advantage of our opportunities; we had a lot of chances last year but we didn’t finish well,” said Hallac.
“We lost some 1-0 games where we outplayed the other team, we really have to finish better. We need to be better on transition defense. If we lose the ball, we have to get it back. We have to maintain possession.”
In Hallac’s view, the optimism around the program is justified. “We have a lot of potential, we have a lot of talent,” maintained Hallac.
“The expectations are higher than last year. The MAPL (Mid-Atlantic Prep League) championship ought to be within our reach and we hope to get to another Prep A final. We want to advance farther in the MCT (Mercer County Tournament). We are setting the bar higher. The girls are putting in the work; they are competing hard in the preseason.”