The Marlboro High School girls’ soccer team began the season with losses in its first two games, but that has not dampened the attitude of the squad.
Coach Marc Strumwasser praised his players for their effort when the Mustangs lost to Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School, 1-0, on Sept. 5 and a heartbreaker to rival Manalapan High School, 3-2, on Sept. 8.
Manalapan defeated Marlboro in the first round of the Central Jersey, Group 4 state tournament last season.
“Our expectations were high,” Strumwasser said. “We played a tough game against a No. 6 team in the Shore in Rumson. We played them really tough. We just couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net. When you play Manalapan vs. Marlboro, it’s always going to be a battle. We’re crosstown rivals, so our expectations were high.
“I’m extremely proud of them. They fought. [Against Manalapan, we] were down, 1-0, and they fought. [We] were down, 2-1, and they fought. Even when [Manalapan] went up late, they fought all the way through. So, I couldn’t ask for anything better.”
Sophomores Victoria Tzitzis and Nicole Napoletano netted a goal each against Manalapan.
Strumwasser said the Mustangs aren’t worried about being 0-2 to start the season because the players feel they can play with anyone.
“I just told them, ‘look who you played,’ ” Strumwasser said. ” ‘You just played two of the best teams in the state. You hung in with both teams, and you had chances to win against both teams. Now we build, we work to get better and we work to improve.’ ”
Strumwasser is excited about the chemistry on his team.
“I love our ball movement,” the coach said. “We did a nice job of moving the ball from side to side. Once we settled down from the physical play and started to play our style of knocking the ball around, we created our opportunities.”
Strumwasser admitted that there is still room for improvement.
“We need to finish a little bit better,” he said. “We have some opportunities that we kind of let slip by. So we need to work on finishing better. We do that, and we will be fine.”
The Mustangs were scheduled to visit Trinity Hall in Tinton Falls on Sept. 11 before returning home on Sept. 13 to play Raritan High School at 4 p.m. Marlboro visits Howell High School the next day for a 4 p.m. matchup against the Rebels.
