Girls soccer is always an extremely competitive sport in Hunterdon County and it is shaping up to be no different this fall.
Hunterdon Central, North Hunterdon and Voorhees were all legitimate sectional titles contenders last year and all bring enough back this year to be able to me in the mix again.
Hunterdon Central is perennially one of the top programs in the state, Voorhees has one of the state’s top scorers in Ella Ortiz and North Hunterdon reached a sectional final last year. The Lions will start anew with first-year head coach Chelsey Lindaberry.
Meanwhile, Delaware Valley has been a competitive program in recent seasons and is looking to get back on track following a rebuilding year. South Hunterdon is scheduled to return to having a varsity program after not having one the previous season.
DELAWARE VALLEY
Coach: David Kirschenmann
Last season: 5-12-2
It was an unusually down season for Delaware Valley last fall as the Terriers suffered through a 5-12-2 campaign.
This marked Delaware Valley’s first losing season since 2019. The Terriers will now move down to the Skyland Conference Mountain Division from the Valley Division and to Central Jersey, Group 1 after being in Group 2. Both placements should help Delaware Valley be more competitive this season.
The other piece of good news for Delaware Valley is that it returns the vast majority of its roster from last season. Abigail Goodwin led the team with 10 goals a season and will lead the way in her senior season. Avery Schaefer and Elana Falkenstein are other key members of the senior class. Falkenstein topped the team with four assists as a junior.
Klaudia Burke, Kylie Croasdale, Madelyn Fischer and Marlena Vastola were all young players who got playing time as sophomores and are looking to continue to develop. The Terriers will open their season at home on Sept. 5 against Belvidere.
HUNTERDON CENTRAL
Coach: Coron Short
Last season: 16-4-2, Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex runner-up
Hunterdon Central is coming off an extremely strong 16-4-2 season that was very close to being a historic one. The Red Devils suffered tough losses to great teams in Sparta and Westfield in the final rounds of the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament and the North 2, Group 4 Tournament, respectively.
The top question coming into this fall for Hunterdon Central is who will replace Lexi Dendis as the go-to scorer? Dendis was one of the top offensive threats in the state last year with 20 goals and six assists. Senior forward Lila Hopkins is a top candidate to step up, and she had five goals and three assists last year.
Despite losing Dendis, the Red Devils return a lot of key pieces. Lila Parente led the team with 10 assists last year to go with six goals and she is back leading the midfield. Parente will be counted on to set up scoring chances. Seniors Abby Givand and Erin Johnson will play alongside Parente to form an experienced midfield group.
Lauren Facinelli is one of the top defensive players in the Skyland Conference and will be counted upon to lock down the opposing team’s top scoring options. Sarah Erb and Aubrey Smith are also key members to watch on the back line.
Hunterdon Central finished second in the Delaware Division of the Skyland Conference behind Rutgers Prep as the Red Devils will try to come home with the division crown this year. The Red Devils got their season started with a 3-0 win over Watchung Hills on Sept. 4.
NORTH HUNTERDON
Coach: Chelsey Lindaberry
Last season: 14-6-3
Coming off a stellar season that saw the Lions go 14-6-3 and reach the North 2, Group 3 final round, North Hunterdon will try to repeat that same success with new head coach Chelsey Lindaberry taking over for Steve DeLorenzo.
It will certainly be the start of a new era as DeLorenzo was the North Hunterdon head coach for the past 27 seasons. It was a valiant run in his final season last fall as the Lions advanced past Summit in penalty kicks in the sectional semifinals before falling to Chatham.
North Hunterdon had a combination of seniors and underclassmen contributing, so it will be a mix of some returning players and some players lost to graduation who will have to be replaced. First and foremost, the Lions will be hunting for a new leading scorer after Zoey Pipher and her 15 goals and nine assists graduated.
The top contender for that role will be senior Lily Rogers, who recorded five goals and eight assists last year after scoring 11 goals in her sophomore season. Senior Jodie VanDoren (five goals, three assists) and junior Kylie Tschorz (seven goals) will also be relied upon.
With last season’s division champion – Immaculata – moving up, the Lions are certainly among the top contenders in the Skyland Conference Raritan Division after finishing second last season. Following a loss to Voorhees to open its season, the Lions will look to pickup their first win against Bridgewater-Raritan on Sept. 7.
VOORHEES
Coach: Ian Kirkpatrick
Voorhees is a team on the upswing following a 14-6 record last year that resulted in the Vikings earning the top seed in the North 2, Group 2 bracket. They will be looking to finish the job this year after a disappointing postseason exit delivered by Hanover Park in the quarterfinals.
Voorhees is led by junior Ella Ortiz, who is one of the top offensive talents in the state. She lit up the scoreboard to the tune of 34 goals in her sophomore season after netting 20 goals as a freshman. Ortiz will give Voorhees a chance in any game it plays.
Complementing Ortiz is junior Kate Johnson, who dished out 17 assists last season. Devin Sutch recorded 19 goals for Voorhees last year, but she graduated so her production will need to be replaced as a secondary scorer.
Kyleigh Martin, Brooke Ader and Sophia Ashton are key pieces in the back for the Vikings. For Voorhees to take the next step, improving its defense and reducing goals given up against top teams will be a key factor.
It will be a step up in competition for Voorhees this year moving up to the Skyland Conference Raritan Division from the Valley Division. The Vikings shared the division crown with Bernards a season ago with a 9-1 division record.
Voorhees defeated North Hunterdon, 5-3, to open its season in an impressive victory behind four goals from Ortiz.
SOUTH HUNTERDON
Coach: Jeff Neumann
Last Season: N/A
South Hunterdon will return to the field as a varsity program this fall after only having a junior varsity squad last season.
The Eagles will be led by their two captains, striker Olivia Nemeth and back Amy Xavier, as well as veteran back Ava Duggan and midfielder Lucy Spreen . Senior Kadie Fleming returns as the keeper and juniors Jiondae Dewald and Ariday Cruz will provide the fire from the midfield. Freshman striker Maggie Woodside will provide an offensive spark.
“It will be a challenging year for our team as we take the step back up to a varsity schedule,” South Hunterdon head coach Jeff Neumann said. “We will focus on improving as individuals and as a team and maintaining strong and positive attitudes as the season progresses. We are returning almost our entire team from last year and have some great additions from our freshmen class.”
DATES TO KEEP
Sept. 11: Hunterdon Central at Rutgers Prep
Sept. 12: Delaware Valley at South Hunterdon
Sept. 21: Middletown South at North Hunterdon
Oct. 2: Phillipsburg at Voorhees
Oct. 7: Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament first round
Oct. 9: HWS second round
Oct. 11: HWS quarterfinals
Oct. 16: H/W/S semifinals
Oct. 19: H/W/S final
Oct. 21: Montgomery at Hunterdon Central
Oct. 26: State tournament qualifying cutoff
Nov. 4: State sectional first round
Nov. 7: Sectional second round
Nov. 11: Sectional semifinals
Nov. 14: Sectional finals
Nov. 18: State semifinals
Nov. 23-24: State finals