Optimism is abundant among the girls’ soccer players at Monroe Township High School.
That attitude was shared by the players even after Monroe’s 3-2 loss to The Lawrenceville School on Oct. 16 during Senior Night in Monroe.
Seniors Tayler Muce, an outside back, and Paige Gandy, a midfielder, loved the chemistry that Monroe displays. Muce and Gandy scored both of the Falcons’ goals in the game. Monroe led, 2-1, for most of the game until Lawrenceville was able to score on a corner kick with 2:26 left to play in the second half. Monroe gave up another goal a minute later, sealing the comeback victory for Lawrenceville.
“I think we just worked as a team,” Muce said. “Our chemistry built up throughout the game, and we fought till the end. I know we made mistakes, but we’ll get them next time.”
“I think our bond still showed on the field,” Gandy said. “Playing with these girls for almost my whole life and seeing them fight till the end really made me happy. No matter what the score was, I’m still proud of how this team played.”
Monroe stands at 10-8 for the season, but the players feel a tournament title is within reach.
Monroe is aiming to win the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Tournament, which opened on Oct. 16. The Falcons are the fourth seed and earned byes through the play-in and preliminary rounds of the tournament.
They defeated 13th-seeded South Brunswick High School, 3-2, on Oct. 20 in their first-round game of the tournament. The Falcons were sparked by three goals in the second half to gain the victory. Monroe was scheduled to host No. 5-seed Highland Park High School in the quarterfinals on Oct. 24 at 4 p.m.
“I want to win it all,” Muce said. “I want to win the GMC’s. I want to win states. We, unfortunately, had some bumps in the division, but we’re going to come back in the end.”
The Falcons are fourth in the Red Division with a 6-4 mark.
“We’re definitely coming for the GMC’s,” Gandy said. “We’re definitely coming for states. They can’t sleep on us because we’re coming for them.”
The players realize there are areas Monroe must improve upon in order to win a tournament championship.
“I think we just need to learn how to put the ball in the back of the net,” Muce said. “But I’m proud of them. We work hard. In practices, we work really hard, and whatever the outcome is, I’ll always respect all of them for what they’ve done.”
“We just need to keep our heads high going into the tournament,” Gandy said prior to the start of the GMC Tournament. “I feel like we’ve had a few bumps in the road. We were on a good winning streak, and it started to slow down a little bit. I definitely feel like we need to come into the tournament strong and ready to play. We’ve been an underdog all season, and I definitely want to come out strong in the tournament.”
Peter Ruckdeschel, Monroe’s coach, leaned on playing seniors against Lawrenceville during their special night.
“Being that I played only seniors tonight because this was their night, I thought they really rallied and played for each other,” Ruckdeschel said. “The whole message today was about legacy and how they want to be remembered. It’s really in their hands how they leave their legacy. I thought they played well. They had three lapses, which unfortunately led to three goals. But they deserved this game. It’s unfortunate, but they have big things on the horizon.”
Ruckdeschel is anxious to see how his team fares in the GMC Tournament.
“Looking at the county tournament, the seeding is great,” Ruckdeschel said ahead of the GMC Tournament. “I’m really looking forward to the tournament. Our girls can do very well. As long as they continue to play and play at a high level, we can do very well.
“They earned the fourth seed. We need to make sure we’re prepared and ready for that and prove to everyone that four wasn’t high enough. We need to be an even higher seed.”
