After winning the program’s first playoff game since 2010 last year, the Pioneers hope to make a deep postseason run in 2017.
Clearview Regional High School girls soccer is ready to prove it can contend with the best teams in South Jersey Group IV.
In 2016, the Pioneers had a breakout season, winning 12 games and recording the program’s first postseason win since 2010.
Despite losing a few key players from last year’s team to graduation, Clearview is hungry to take another step forward in 2017 with a slew of upperclassmen who have logged plenty of varsity experience over the past three years.
Head coach Dan Matozzo said the Pioneers have a bit more experience in the backfield entering 2017. Clearview’s top goal scorer from last season, Jessica Cirone, was one of the five seniors the Pioneers lost to graduation.
Two of Clearview’s top returning goal scorers have plenty of varsity experience. Senior Julia Michael is entering her fourth year on varsity and tallied nine goals for the Pioneers last season. Junior Liz Bonomo recorded six goals and four assists in 2016 as a sophomore and is also expected to play a big role on offense. Matozzo believes the pair’s experience will give the offense a boost.
“Every girl coming back has (scored) goals,” Matozzo said. “It’s just when we need those goals, hopefully one of those girls will get them for us.”
One of the challenges of the preseason is finding a solid starting combination of forwards Clearview can depend on deep into the regular season. Matozzo plans to continue working on finding the perfect group during the early part of the season.
“You have three weeks (of preseason),” Matozzo said. “It seems like you have a lot of time and then all of a sudden you’re trying to piece together combinations that work together better.”
“They’ll get better as the season goes on,” Matozzo added about his team. “We’re just getting the girls comfortable together.”
Defensively, Clearview returns a 2016 all-conference selection, senior back Vivianna Caamano, as well as sophomore goalkeeper McKenna Dalfonso. Dalfonso emerged as the first freshman starting goalkeeper in more than a decade for the Pioneers last year and made progress as the season went on. Last October, Dalfonso and the Clearview defense shut out five straight opponents and would earn another shutout in the team’s 2–0 win over Egg Harbor Regional High School in the first round of the South Jersey Group IV tournament.
“From freshman year to now, she’s made huge strides,” Matozzo said of Dalfonso. “Two years from now, it’ll be awesome to see where she is. Having her right now, she has more confidence as a sophomore and that’s great to see.”
There’s a lot of optimism around the Pioneers entering the 2017 season, but Matozzo doesn’t want his team looking too far ahead on the schedule.
“There’s certain games where you don’t say anything and they get fired up to play,” Matozzo said. “It’s the team they think they have an upper hand on and that could be the team that knocks them out of something we’re trying to achieve. This year, more than any, I’ve been pushing, don’t look at the schedule.”
Matozzo also knows competing in South Jersey Group IV with programs such as Washington Township, Eastern Regional and Lenape high schools will be a challenge. To prepare for the postseason, Clearview played a scrimmage against Washington Township and will visit Eastern for a non-conference regular season game on Sept. 23.
“The best teams you can possibly find out of conference, you have to play them,” Matozzo said. “You’re going to see them in the playoffs. There’s nowhere to hide in Group IV.”
UPDATE: Clearview heads into the second week of its season still undefeated with a perfect 4–0 record. The Pioneers have scored a combined 15 goals over their first four games.
