Bridgewater-Raritan's Lowrey is the Courier News Girls Soccer Preseason Player of the Year

EDITOR'S NOTE: The preseason POY selection is based on the results of last week's preseason poll.

Bridgewater-Raritan’s Allison Lowrey seemingly dropped out of the sky like a bolt of lightning last year. She went from a virtual unknown to opposing teams’ primary focus and nightmare in a matter of months.

The freshman tallied eight goals, seven assists and always seemed to rise to the occasion when called upon. Lowrey scored the lone goal in a Sept. 27 match against powerhouse Ridge to give the Panthers an important 1-0 victory and also pushed her team past North Hunterdon in the North 2 Group IV first round with a game-clinching goal in the second half.

Not bad for a player one summer removed from middle school.

“The sky’s the limit for this kid, her skill is just so natural,” Bridgewater-Raritan coach Chris Gerber said. “As she progresses, and she’s only a sophomore, she certainly can be one of the best outfield players to come through our program and can be one of the best players in the state. I think she’s definitely Division I material at this point.”

Such high praise didn’t come easy for Lowrey, the 2017 Courier News Girls Soccer Preseason Player of the Year. The difference in level of play between middle school and high school was a stark difference and definitely a culture shock.

Lowrey entered an environment she was completely unfamiliar with, including her own teammates. She did have one ally on the team, however, her older sister Stephanie, a junior.

“It was very nerve-wracking, I didn’t know anyone on the team and just going to high school was a totally new experience,” Lowrey said. “My sister helped me be friends with everyone. She was basically my only friend at that point.”

Luckily of Lowrey, her unbelievable skill helped her adjust to the varsity level almost immediately.

“She did an excellent job of maturing very quickly,” Gerber said. “She wasn’t intimidated by the jump from middle school and took on the big responsibility of being a starter right off the bat. She was just herself and went out and performed. No stage was too big for her.”

Lowrey is already picking up where she left off this fall. The Panthers routed Voorhees 6-0 in Tuesday’s season opener, and Lowrey led the way, scoring two goals and doling out one assist. Lowrey and the Panthers have ambitious state tournament aspirations even if the masses consider them a dark horse.

“We’re definitely using that as motivation because we want to prove everyone wrong,” Lowrey said. “As a team, we want to show that we are in it. Everyone may not think we’re good enough to make it to the state finals, but we’ll do out best to get there.”

Staff Writer Daniel LoGiudice can be reached at dlogiudice@gannettnj.com. Follow him on Twitter @danny_logiudice.