By Jimmy Allinder
Last year’s Spotswood High School girls’ soccer team finished with a 14-5-1 record and won its first Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Blue Division title since 2008.
Whether the Chargers can repeat as division champions depends on the development of players who replace a talented senior class that is now graduated. In early-season games, Spotswood is 3-2, but the record might improve.
All-conference midfielder and captain Erin Thuring missed those games due to a knee injury and was to make her season debut Sept. 21, when the Chargers faced Wardlaw-Hartridge High School. Thuring notched six goals and two assists to finish among the team’s top scorers.
“Erin’s presence on the field has been strongly missed, and we’ve been looking forward to her getting back on the field,” head coach Jeff Marvinny said. “With Erin coming back in addition to our other captains, Lizzie Vignuolo, Danielle Wittig and Lauren Kiszkiel, our team has come a long way since the preseason.”
Marvinny said the Chargers have yet to play a game with the team at full strength because of injuries, but he’s not using that as an excuse.
“The girls are always up to the challenge before them no matter what hurdles are placed before them,” he said.
Thus far, the scoring has been spread among six regulars. Amber Meagher and Alexa Reilly have two goals and an assist, Carolina Fernandez has a goal and assist, Miranda Wells has a goal and three assists, Athena Xipolias has a goal and Wittig has an assist.
Vignuolo has been active in goal with 32 saves and is a special story considering she did not play soccer until the eighth grade.
“Her journey is unique because she started as a field player and then switched to goaltender for the junior varsity as a sophomore,” Marvinny said. “Last year, Lizzie set a school record with 10 shutouts for the season and this year, she already has three.”
Marvinny is in his 11th season as coach and subscribes to a philosophy that combines playing with focus and attention to detail with developing a family atmosphere.
“The idea is for every player to sacrifice their own egos for the betterment of the team,” he said. “We’ve become a very tight-knit team with good chemistry.
“Our team goals are to repeat as division champions and advancing further in the GMC and [NJSIAA] state tournaments than we did last year. We know it’s going to be a challenge because our schedule is more difficult than in past years.”
Following the Wardlaw-Hartridge game, Spotswood hosts John F. Kennedy Memorial High School Sept. 23 and South Plainfield High School Sept. 28.
