For several years now the LREI girls’ varsity soccer team has leaned heavily on youth, having rosters largely composed of freshmen and sophomores.  Underclassmen have gained minutes in large chunks over the 32 games that have been played from 2011-2013.  This year a core of those players grew into senior leadership, taking up the role of being the spine of the team for the last time.  This group, and the rest of the team of 20 girls, actively took on a rigorous summer fitness program, and then came together during preseason beginning each morning at 7:30 at Pier 40, playing into the heat of the day, and approaching their preparations with a determination to capitalize on the development of this obviously special group.  The captains, midfielder Finley Martin and defender Hazel Hutchins, have both been among the team leaders in minutes since they joined the team as freshmen.  Martin came into the year leading in every statistical scoring category that the team tracks for both individual seasons and over a career, and Hutchins is a multi-year captain, and two-time team MVP who has played in every position along the back line for the Knights.  Also representing the senior class was forward Ally Klemer, also a four-year starter and adaptable player who has played almost everywhere on the field, defender Maxine Guttmann, returning to the team after a year abroad to help shore up the defensive squad, Ana Maroto, who’s development into a box-to-box midfielder has been a big catalyst for the consistent improvement of play, forward Cara Colasanti, returning for her third season and who has made tremendous strides in her play each year, and forward Diandra Adu-Kyei, who contributed two goals to last seasons team total of 30 and who gained significant minutes in 2014.

The team’s belief in itself had to survive an opening day defeat to last season’s regular season and playoff champions Brooklyn Friends in which the team was shut out despite playing very well, but they then went on to score in the next 11 games, including three 1-0 victories in a row over Calhoun, Friends, and EF International.   In total the Knights’ scored 33 goals this season, while only conceding 12, eight of which came against a single team, Brooklyn Friends, in their two match ups with the eventual champions.  This means that the team only gave up four goals against their remaining ten opponents.

 

This phenomenal defensive effort was lead largely by Hutchins, who has had multiple seasons where she has been the lone player to play every minute, and who has time and again set the tone for the team’s proactive mental and physical approach.  The remaining three slots in the defensive line regularly belonged to senior Guttmann, junior Maya Pacheco-Berger, and sophomore Minnie Hutchins.  The latter lead all players in minutes played this season.  But there were numerous girls who contributed valuable games and minutes along the back line, and every contribution was important to the season effort, coming in important games or situations that asked a lot of each.  This group of defenders, along with center midfield anchor Ana Maroto, were the bedrock the team was built on which allowed it to press forward into the attacking third.  Maroto’s intelligent and calm passing, domination in the area in front of the defense, and versatility were clutch in multiple situations, and was a key factor in the Knights’ ability to transition quickly and effectively.  The team’s scoring total, itself a season record, is largely thanks to the work put in by these girls in the defensive end of the field. 

 

Also vital to the effort at the back was junior goalkeeper Sara Caplan, who struggled with injuries all season, but who played 600 minutes, posting a 6-2 record as a starter with a 1.33 goals per game average.  Both of these are records. Ally Klemer (180 mins, 2-1, 0.89 ga) and Cara Eagan (160 mins, 1-0, 0.0 ga) also played important minutes between the sticks.

 

The attack this season was lead by freshman striker Rachel Morrow, who set a new single-season scoring record, tallying 13 goals and 6 assists while starting all 12 games of the season.  Her determined and physical play was complimented with her intelligent approach and her cool head in front of the net.  Rachel scored in eight of the games she played in this season.  Morrow may have lead the attacking line, but the tone of the team’s creative but aggressive approach up front was set by Finley Martin.  Martin moved in to the upper point of the LREI midfield from the wing after her freshman year, and has not only been scoring goals but setting up her teammates for three seasons.  She has gotten stronger each year, and added a physical side to her game this season that added a whole new dimension to the Knights attack.  She finishes her career with 21 goals, including 6 game winners and 2 hat tricks, to go with her 16 assists.  Also vital to the scoring efforts this season were Ally Klemer (4g, 3a), junior midfielder Juno Hobbs (3g), Diandra Adu-Kyei (2g), and outside midfielders Lucy Tamarkin (1g, 3a) and junior midfielder Amelia Pinney.  Pinney especially made a leap in her contribution over last season, both assisting in the team’s regular ability to possess the ball, and also putting in minutes at outside back. 

 

In addition to the other records set by the 2014 edition of the LREI Knights, the team went on a six game win streak, tallied 12 league points from a 4-2 record in the ISAL, kept 7 clean sheets, and finished with 9 wins total.  Their final record was 9-3, and despite being heartbreakingly eliminated from the league playoffs at the semifinal stage for the second year in a row, the season has been an amazing one for all involved.