Coming off a 7-13 season in 2013 that saw the team develop their young talent for a possible title run this year, the 2014 Cinnaminson Girl’s Soccer team looked to continue to their growth this year.  The girls have done so quite well, starting the season 3-1-2 against some of the most talented soccer teams in South Jersey.

But with rematches against Holy Cross and Northern Burlington and a game with Rancocas Valley looming in the next five days, this is going to be a tough stretch for the Pirates.

Through six games, the girls have only given up five total goals, defeating Delran, Gloucester Catholic and Burlington Township while tying Northern Burlington and Moorestown.

Amanda McHugh, a junior, has been a varsity member all three years and has noticed through the years that, “We’ve grown more together, and our chemistry on and off the field has definitely grown since my freshman year.”

Other captains on the team are seniors Delani Pecchioli, Caitlyn Kollar, and Rachel Waite. The combination of the four girls lead the team in warm ups before the game and through difficult times on the field. McHugh believes she demonstrates leadership as a captain by, “staying positive and keeping our eye on a common goal keeps the team together.”

“Our defense has been solid all season with three shutouts (in our first four games),” Amanda finished.

With wins against Gloucester Catholic and Delran the girls prepared for their most anticipated opponent of the season on Saturday, Holy Cross. “Looking forward… Holy Cross will be the biggest challenge we will have all season. They always prove to be a very skilled and tough team. We’ve had trouble with them the past two years,”

The judgment day with Holy Cross arrived with back to back games on Saturday, Sept. 27 and on Tuesday, Sept. 30.  The girls dropped their first matchup with the Lancers, 2-0 on Saturday, one of the top teams in all of South Jersey.  The biggest loss during the game was the shoulder injury suffered by junior goalie Marisa DiLeo, one of the top netminders in South Jersey this season.

But, last week’s Burlington Township game showed the potential of the girls in an evenly-matched tilt. Cinnaminson controlled possession throughout most of the first half in the Burlington Township end of the field. But, when the ball was on Cinnaminson’s half it was quickly cleared by the feet of Pecholli, Kollar, McHugh or freshman Christine Bescript. The ball would then routinely be taken up the side and passed to juniors Alex Kane and Jenna Mullin or freshman Jaimie McHugh. The Pirates scored their first goal with 30:43 left in the first half when Kane booted a rolling ball past the goalie and the recovering defensive player in the six for a goal. The assist was by freshman Jaimie McHugh.

The Burlington Township goalie was peppered with shots, mainly from Amanda McHugh and senior Shannon McGinnis on crosses in the box. Goalie Marisa DiLeo, received her fair share of shots as well, but 31 minutes into the first half, the possibility of four shutouts in a row for Cinnaminson was crushed when Burlington Township’s Alyssa Paglione took a shot and sank it in the back of the net. With the score tied 1-1 at the end of the first half, an easy game turned into a stressful one.

At halftime Coach Digney pointed out, “You got a couple of different players on the field; the tough ones that we train to be tough and the ones who can make plays.  And when the toughness goes out the window… That’s how you end up with a 1-1 game,” He concluded his pep-talk with the suggestion to, “Come out and be confident young soccer players, and the rest will come.”

Junior Anna Saginario took Digney’s advice by going into the second half very aggressive. Whether it was a head ball that she jumped and fought for, or a free ball in the middle of the field that she sprinted and fought for, Burlington Township was now seeing the Cinnaminson team that could win the game.

The second half was far better then the first in terms of team work as well as scoring possibilities.  Kane and Waite took the ball up to the 18′ multiple times and ripped shots every chance they got. Waite adjusted as well as she could but struggled to adjust, especially after the game when she claimed, “It’s kind of hard to play when your position is switched every game.”

The second half was a tense half with games of possession going on in each of the teams goal mouths. The action picked up and had an effect about fifteen minutes into the half when McGinnis scored for the Pirates, putting away a ball fumbling around the goalie and the six. The tap assist came from freshman Hayley Gutowski, “I didn’t really think, I just took the opportunity to take the shot, get the goal, and put the Pirates in the lead 2-1,” McGinnis explained after coming off the field.

Not so long after McGinnis’s goal,  Kollar made her way up the middle of the field and with an assist from Amanda McHugh and took her chance for a goal. Kollar gave the Pirates a cushion with the 3-1 advantage. Her teammates remarked how “she’s been waiting to do that all season. She even was working on it at practice yesterday,” It’s clear to see that practice does pay off.

Coach Digney was happy with the victory, but looks for cleaner games for the future.  “‘The win on a bad day is a good day,’ I’m pleased with the overall result, but we need to look cleaner for the bigger and better teams [that] we’ll play down the road,” concluded Coach Digney.

After tomorrow’s rematch with the 7-2 Lancers, Cinnaminson will quickly regroup to take on the 6-2 Red Devils of Rancocas Valley on Thursday before a rematch with 3-3-2 Northern Burlington.  The BCSL division is one the toughest in South Jersey, with games still looming against Bordentown and rematches with Moorestown and Rancocas Valley.

In 2012, the girls made it to the state semifinals due to the experience a tough regular season had on them.  The blend of youth and experience on this year’s team could see that developing again.