High Point girls soccer facing tough competition
WANTAGE — The regular season has only just begun for high school sports in New Jersey and some teams have already faced with very tough competition-count the High Point High School girl’s soccer program among that group.
The Wildcats suffered a setback in their very first game of the year (a 2-0 loss to Morris Tech on Sept. 7), but they have the coaching, leadership and overall resilience to respond with a winning attitude. That’s just what they did as three days later they topped Hackettstown, 1-0, for their first win of the season. Last season, they tallied an overall record of 10-7 and advanced to the NJSIAA North 1 Group 2 Sectional Tournament where they were defeated by Kittatinny.
On Sept. 26, they have a home game slated versus Morris Tech. Key returning student athletes to the varsity lineup for the Wildcats this year include Bri Simsic (senior, midfield/forward), Cali Gaechter (senior, midfield), Jordan Cicio (senior, defense), Lauren Weiss (senior, defense), Kendra Sharrock (senior, forward), Jessenia Velez (senior, forward), Reagan Cope (junior, defense), Sara Honold (sophomore, goal keeper) and Olivia Dunn (sophomore, midfield).
Promising newcomers looking to be of positive influence at the varsity level include Ava Langenbach (junior, defense), Gillian Mulvoy (junior, midfield), Morgan Galvao (sophomore, midfield), Sarah Harnett (freshman, forward) and Chauncey Gebauer (freshman, forward/defense).
“I'm going to really be looking to my seniors for leadership this year, as they have now been with me all four seasons of their high school career," High Point head coach Aaron Berger said. “A couple of them could be breakout goal scorers and a couple could provide some great stability in our defensive line. Ultimately, my goal is that they would finish their senior season without any regrets for what they could have accomplished."
The Wildcats compete in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Freedom Division along with Jefferson, Morris Tech, Hackettstown, Kittatinny and Newton.
“I would like to see our team regain the Division/Conference championship that we had won two years in a row, up until last year," Berger said. “We have the talent to do so. It will come down to how hard the girls are willing to work to achieve it.
“I feel that our team will be a contender in our Division. Kittatinny will likely be our toughest competition this year, but with Morris County Tech being a newcomer, they could also be challenging since we've never played them before."