Rutgers Prep girls soccer rolls in Somerset County Tournament
SOMERSET - The Rutgers Prep girls soccer team has the perfect combination of young starters who produce and tested upperclassman who lead.
On Saturday, every player on the field was in sync with one another, and that camaraderie produced a dominant showing in the preliminary round of the Somerset County Tournament.
No. 9 Rutgers Prep (6-2-1) dominated 16th-seeded Bound Brook 9-0, earning a showdown against No. 8 Franklin on Oct. 8th.
Freshmen starters Mickaela Kraker and Macey Mento led the Argonauts as the two youngsters scored twice against the Crusaders. The two freshmen combined accounted for the first four goals scored against Bound Brook (1-6-1).
For Rutgers Prep, having its freshman continue to produce will be crucial if the team wants to advance deep into the county tournament.
“We’ve definitely gotten a lot of help from our older players,” said Kraker, who scored the first goal of the match just one minute into play. “We all work together and we have really good chemistry.”
With a 4-0 lead, Rutgers Prep kept rotating its players, allowing for other players to gain some valuable varsity experience. The Argonauts had a total of seven different players score on Saturday.
Taylor Williams, Amanda Aloia, McKayla Mottola, Julia Chorun and Ava Margolis were the other goal scorers.
With six freshman starters on the team, Rutgers Prep coach Tony Mento relies heavily on his upperclassmen to lead.
“We have several solid returning players with a lot of freshman that we mix in,” Mento said. “We are trying to get our chemistry back.”
Captain Tyler Patel and junior Holly Riccio handle the dirty work as holding midfielders. Their experience allows them to make good decisions on when to attack and when to stay back. Patel finished Saturday's contest with one assist.
While Rutgers Prep handled business easily against Bound Brook, the team knows that the competition will be tougher as the county tournament advances.
Earlier this week on Monday, the Argonauts lost to eighth-seeded Franklin 3-0. The contest was even at the half but the Warriors' offense eventually broke through.
“It’s a big step up for us in class,” Mento said of the upcoming match against Franklin. “They are a big school, wore us down a little bit last week but we are hoping we can make a few adjustments."