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Girls Varsity Soccer made Senior Day an afternoon to remember on the last day of the season with a strong winning performance followed by a beautiful tribute to their nine seniors from Coach Stadtlander. GK Emily Candela finished her stellar career with 417 saves including 179 this season to lead the defense while midfielder Amanda Faber totaled 47 goals in her four years. Junior Nicole Foster bolstered the attack with 7 goals this season and will lead a young Eagles team next year on our new turf field!
With strong representation and commitment from the senior class, Boys Varsity Soccer just missed a second consecutive winning season with a 8-10-1 final record. Ben Parker led the way becoming our first boy to receive All County 1st team recognition in many years. Memorable moments for Coach Gesch include Sam Faber scoring with a 40 yard rocket shot in an exciting community night win, Evan Hopeck dribbling through the entire DePaul defense in a county tournament win, Matt Cook’s header goal off of Logan Kang’s cross, and the wild state win on the turf in Wyckoff. This team will also forever hold the distinction of being the last to navigate the unique topography of the high school “grass” field that was home to the league and state champions of Eagles soccer lore.
Boys JV soccer consisted of 9 freshmen, 11 sophomores and 1 junior who worked hard in practice and bonded together through the course of the season, finishing with a 7-7-1 record. There was never a dull moment with these players, who knew how to play hard and have fun at the same time. Coach Harvell believes many of them will be ready to play at the next level in 2020 and looks forward to seeing what they can accomplish!
The most common pregame word thrown around the locker room before a Varsity Volleyball match was “Fight”. This season the girls did just that, ending with a 9-12 record that saw several matches go to 3 games, including a season highlight performance against a very competitive Glen Rock team. Along with a very strong senior class, captains Molly Boonstra and Cassidy Abma led the way, ending the season on a high note with a victory over Manchester in 2 sets. Veteran coach Steffanie Honore was pleased that the entire team developed not only skills over the course of the season, but leadership and communication capabilities as well.
Led by the hitting of co-captain Eva Reinmuth and leadership and outstanding play of 1st year team member Kelly Steenstra, the girls enjoyed a solid .500 season. Coach Kendra Visbeen points to the gutsy win vs Lodi on a day when the Eagles were missing 5 starters as the game that best showed their character and capabilities as a team.
The Cross Country season was “as positive and fulfilling” as any in Coach Apol’s recent memory. He points to the preseason service camp, training trip down the shore and EC invitational meet as highlights. While Kristen Ghinelli and Luke Parker had outstanding individual seasons, the most impressive team statistic was the steady improvement of everyone. The team moto was “Iron Sharpens Iron” and the Biblical injunction to always encourage, aid and build one another up (even opponents) was always evident. Special thanks go to seniors Elise Reitsma, David Visser and Elijah Crefeld for their leadership by example and enthusiasm for the program. Good things ahead next year for this team!
The department is thankful and blessed to have had coach Terry Allen come out of retirement to once again lead the team, which featured 11 girls (4 of whom were 8th graders) and 7 boys, all 6th and 7th, some of whom chose double session training both before and after school! In a sport measured objectively by personal improvement the season was certainly a success as all found a fulfilling challenge and opportunity to achieve. Alex Culp led the boys, medaling at the big multi-team Garfield Invitational meet in the season finale.
First year coach Kim Meserole’s shared goals for the season were to have fun while learning fundamentals; to choose and practice respect; to come to practices and games with our best attitude and effort; to better our soccer and communication skills, and getting a day, a week, a game better each time we step onto the pitch. In one of their final games of the season the girls demonstrated all of the above, playing an undefeated Waldwick team to a first half, 1-1 tie with ball possession and courage. And while the game’s final score and the team’s record don’t reflect it by statistical standards, this team–led by a dynamic group of eighth graders–had a very successful year indeed.
The boys had a great season that provided true examples for individual and team growth. With a squad that was predominantly 8th graders, first year coach Cory Hoffman challenged the team to take hold of needed leadership roles and to play “all-out!” Despite some early set-backs, the boys managed a .500 final record and only had one loss in the month of October. The key to their growth and success was understanding that individual talent was not enough and only through team play could they accomplish their goals. We look forward to seeing how the eighth graders will impact the next level!