The Freehold High School girls’ soccer team made a statement in its first game of the season.
That statement gained the attention of the Shore Conference — and New Jersey — when Freehold stunned Colts Neck High School, 1-0, on Sept. 5.
Colts Neck is regarded as one of the premier programs in the Shore Conference and the state. The Cougars were coming off a 15-3-1 season, during which they won their second straight Shore Conference Tournament title and advanced to the semifinals of the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group 4 tournament.
Meanwhile, Freehold finished 4-13 and was eliminated in the first round of the Central Jersey, Group 3 state tournament last fall.
Elyse Ingui, who is in her 11th season coaching the Colonials, instructed her players to focus on their game and not the foes prior to the game with Colts Neck.
“I just told them to play hard,” Ingui said. “I told them to go out there and work hard. They are a great team, so the game plan was not to let them take over from the start. We knew if we did that, we had a chance.”
Ingui was confident entering the game against Colts Neck.
“I always have faith that they can bean anybody,” Ingui said. “Before the game, I told them they can play with anyone. Just play hard, and the rest takes care of itself.”
The game was scoreless until sophomore center midfielder Julia Gang scored at the 63-minute mark. Ingui believed that the game turned when Freehold became more aggressive.
“We were playing really defensive,” Ingui said. “It wasn’t intentional — just the way we were playing. I just told them to take risks and join the offense. When we scored the goal, it was pure jubilation. We were playing so defensive, so to shoot once and hit was incredible.”
Freehold is a youthful squad, with five freshmen are on the roster. They are midfielder Jessica Ciccotto, defender Christina DelQualio, forward and defender Eryka Fernandez, midfielder Mackenzie Quinn and goalkeeper Katie Rodgers.
Ingui was impressed with her young team’s poise and maturity during the victory over Colts Neck.
“Afterward, I told them just how incredibly proud I was,” Ingui said. “I told them that this is a reminder that anything is possible when you play hard. I told them that we hadn’t won anything yet, but that this was a huge win. We showed the rest of the Shore [Conference] that we can compete.”
Ingui believes the upset over Colts Neck will set the tone for the year.
“It should carry over because they deserve it,” Ingui said. “They worked hard all offseason. It feels good to win again. They needed that. Let’s see how well it translates.”
Freehold built on its season-opening victory with victories over Jackson Memorial High School, 1-0, on Sept. 9 and Neptune High School, 3-0, on Sept. 12. The Colonials suffered their first loss of the season against Manalapan High School, 3-0, on Sept. 14.
Freehold added a second loss when they visited Ocean Township High School on Sept. 16 by a 3-1 score.
Freehold was scheduled to visit Marlboro High School on Sept. 18 and Howell High School on Sept. 19. The team plays local rival Freehold Township High School on Sept. 26 at 4 p.m.
