Allentown High School enjoyed a banner girls’ soccer season in 2017.
The Redbirds finished 22-1 and won the Group 3 state tournament championship, the first state group title in program history.
After the season, only three starters graduated. Eight are back for 2018.
The loaded group includes the reigning Colonial Valley Conference Player of the Year, Emma Pascarella, senior center midfielder Alex Searing and senior goalkeeper Abby Howell.
Allentown opens the season on Sept. 6 at Hightstown High School.
The Redbirds do not merely expect a successful season this fall but their goal is to go undefeated.
A 3-0 loss to Steinert High School in the Mercer County Tournament championship game cost Allentown a perfect season in 2017.
“Our expectations have to be high because you can’t go any further up,” said Allentown coach Kim Maurer. “Repeating as state champions is the main goal. And we have never won a Mercer title. That’s not the ultimate goal but it is a goal.”
“Undefeated is definitely the goal,” Searing said.
“We just have to take it game by game and not look ahead,” Pascarella added.
“There’s a lot of pressure on us,” said Allentown defender Lauren Coiante. “But we want that.”
Coiante and her backline mates face the most pressure this fall. Among the three starters who graduated after 2017, two were defenders. The other was a defensive midfielder.
Katie Murin and Sofia Micklovic are projected to fill the open backline spots. Both came off the varsity bench last year.
“They got time and were very good,” Howell said. “I’ve played with Katie for a long time and she’s a fantastic player. Sofia is very intense, very strong and is also a great player.”
Howell is a tall, solid presence in the net. This year, she will also be a stabilizing presence. Her experience, as a champion soccer keeper and as an All-CVC lacrosse goalie, will help make up for youthful mistakes.
At practice on Aug. 21, Pascarella slipped behind a defender and kicked the ball toward an open net. Howell dove and knocked the ball away with her left foot.
Despite the occasional lapse, the young defenders are building chemistry with Coiante and Allentown’s other returning defender, Alissa Defelice. Howell thinks they can be as good as Allentown’s 2017 backline.
“Everything is coming together,” Howell said. “I know a lot of the shots I’ll be getting will be easy. Last year I had 14 or 15 shutouts but I only had to make like two saves per game. The defense was stopping every ball and transitioning to offense. That’s something I expect to see again.”
Offensively, the Redbirds don’t need more time to build chemistry. At practice on Aug. 21, they worked the ball upfield with crisp passes to the outside.
Allentown is clearly not a dump and chase team. Their midfielders and forwards control the ball and only shoot when they are near the box.
“We’re so comfortable with each other. We don’t need to break anybody in,” Searing said. “We don’t play dump and chase. We find each other’s feet.”
Pascarella is the offensive centerpiece, and she is equally adept as a scorer and passer. The Rutgers University commit recorded 23 goals and 21 assists in 2017.
In the midfield, Searing transitions the ball from defense to offense. She is already committed to play soccer for Loyola University, even though she only played 20 minutes per game last fall. Fractured tibias made her calves cramp up.
“Having her fully healthy is a plus,” Maurer said. “This year she’s good and ready to go.”
Junior midfielder Vanessa Rodriguez attacks the net and complements Pascarella.
“Vanessa is very technical and works well with Emma,” Maurer said. “They are a one-two combo.”
Sophomores Olivia Denney and Olivia Ritci started on varsity last year, and combined for 16 goals. Even as freshmen, they were not phased by the varsity spotlight.
Denney had two assists in Allentown’s 6-1 Group 3 state semifinal victory over Ocean City High School.
Ritci scored on a penalty kick in the Redbirds’ 2-1 victory over Middletown High School South in the Group 3 state title game at Kean University in Union this past November.
Between their experience and precocious talent, Denney and Ritci should improve as sophomores.
“I’m really excited to see how they progress,” Maurer said.
Maurer could have been talking about the Redbirds in general. Somehow, a 22-1 team looks ready to take another step forward.
“It’s a little bit of pressure because now we have a target on our backs. Last year we flew under the radar. They have to be even better this year,” Maurer said. “They are adapting nicely. Practices have been competitive.”
