Kevin Hein spent 16 years as Colts Neck High School’s junior varsity boys’ soccer coach.
Now, this fall, he is taking over for Doug Phillips as Colts Neck’s varsity girls’ soccer boss. Phillips stepped down after nine years at the helm and 19 years in the program. He coached Colts Neck to the Group 3 state tournament championship in 2015.
“This gives me the ability to do things the way I want to do them,” Hein said. “It will be new and different.”
Hein will step in and command an inexperienced club.
Colts Neck lost six starters from its 2017 team, which went 11-6-1 and reached the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group 3 state sectional semifinals.
Hein is trying to round out a lineup and rotation while the squad prepares for the season opener on Sept. 6 against Red Bank Catholic High School.
“There is a whole bunch of question marks. We have five full-time kids coming back, and the rest were part-timers. All those kids have like two starts, or a goal, or like two assists,” Hein said. “The team is kind of new.”
Colts Neck is entering a new era, but the cupboard is not bare. Not at all. The three returning senior starters are established varsity players.
Hein expects midfielder Jenna Buckley to be “the best player on the team,” he said.
“She controls the middle of the field no matter who she plays against,” Hein added. “She doesn’t get on the score sheet often but she’s always in the mix.”
Senior forward Kristi Mikula scored 14 goals last year.
“So if anyone will score, it will be her. She’ll be in the mix up top,” Hein said. “She’s lightning fast, so she gets a lot of opportunities.”
Bella Fitzhenry is Colts Neck’s most versatile returning player. She posted five goals and six assists last year, while she recorded nine goals in 2016.
“She’s real versatile and can play anywhere,” Hein said.
The Cougars started two underclassmen in 2017, goalkeeper Kaitlyn Torres and center back Kathryn O’Connor. Torres started 17 games as a freshman last year, and recorded eight shutouts. O’Connor started every game as a sophomore.
“Kaitlyn is pretty battle tested already. We’ll be looking to her a lot I think. I coach her in track also. She’s such a nice kid and team player. She would sit the bench if she believed it was best for the team,” Hein said. “Kathryn will be good but we have to fill the holes around her. But we should be really strong up the middle.”
It’s rare to see a high school team that lost so much talent and returns so much talent. Colts Neck’s success will depend on how well it fills out the rest of the roster. Despite the variables, Hein expects a strong season from the Cougars.
“Being in the (Shore Conference) B North (Division) again will help a little bit. It’s a little bit easier cruising than the (Shore Conference) A North (Division). A North is just a battle every game,” Hein said. “Within B North we’ll be competitive. Probably at the top or near the top. I think we’ll do well.”
