Haddonfield Memorial High School sophomore Nic Green admitted she was nervous when she stepped up to take perhaps the most important penalty kick of her high school career early in the second half of Friday’s South Jersey Group II championship game against Cinnaminson High School.
“The whole place was crazy,” Green said. “I just didn’t want to mess anything up.”
After pausing for a moment, Green put the ball in on the right side of the net, beating Cinnaminson goalkeeper Maddie Ogden for what was the only goal in the Bulldawgs’ 1–0 win. The win gave Haddonfield girls soccer its first sectional title since 2011.
“I thought of my seniors honestly,” Green said of her thoughts before the penalty kick. “I thought that this wasn’t going to be their last game. I need to bury this PK.”
Haddonfield won the sectional title with a unique blend of youth and leadership. The varsity team featured three freshmen and six sophomores, many of whom played big roles for the Bulldawgs throughout the season. Sophomore Madison Bee led the Bulldawgs in scoring with 31 goals. Freshman Rachel Bonnet was second with 10 goals, and freshman goalkeeper Maya Olimpio was solid in net down the stretch, shutting out opponents in five of the Bulldawgs’ last nine games.
“They don’t play young,” Haddonfield head coach Lori Quintavalle said. “They step up, and they know what it takes. I never really think of them as underclassmen because they play big-time soccer.”
Senior captain Jenna Zappetti said the senior class knew how important the underclassmen would be to the team’s success in 2016 and worked closely with them from day one of the preseason.
“Me and my co-captain Sophie (Maccarone) really worked hard at getting them acclimated and getting good team chemistry with them,” Zappetti said.
The Bulldawgs were dominant for much of the season, with their only loss coming in the South Jersey Soccer Coaches Association Tournament semifinals against Lenape High School.
Haddonfield’s matchup with Cinnaminson in the South Jersey Group II final was the second meeting between the two teams in a little more than two weeks. The Bulldawgs and Pirates faced off Oct. 24 in the quarterfinals of the coaches’ tournament in Cinnaminson, with Haddonfield prevailing, 1–0.
“It’s hard to beat a team twice, especially on their home field,” Quintavalle said. “But our girls thought of it as we beat them once. We tried to have that confidence going in.”
Green said the earlier meeting with the Pirates allowed Haddonfield to be better prepared for the rematch.
“We learned to mark their certain players,” Green said. “We knew how to attack them. We played our heart out.”
Next week, the girls soccer team will move onto the state level, where it will try to win its first state championship since 2009. Quintavalle and the players have confidence moving into states and in the years ahead. With so many talented freshmen and sophomores, Haddonfield will likely be a contender for the next few years.
“Once they feel it, you don’t want to not feel it, “Quintavalle said. “I think they’ll keep the edge on.”
