11/6/2010 - Vikings Make History
Chelsea Marinaro wrote the Vernon girls soccer team a note prior to each game the Vikings played this season.
Marinaro, an outstanding defender whose senior season came to a heartbreaking end when she wrecked her knee in the first game of the year, wrote her last note on Friday and she told her teammates they made history.
Never truer words were ever written.
Yes, the Vikings’ dream season came to end in a gut-wrenching loss to Randolph in a shootout in the North 1, Group 4 quarterfinals, but when the members of this team look back on this season it will be one they will cherish forever.
“This team had the most heart of any team I have ever coached,” said veteran Vernon coach Dave Hauptly, who guided the Vikes to a section crown in 2002. “This group of seniors brought back the culture of winning to girls soccer.”
And they did it in a big way by going a school-record 22-1 while winning the American Division of the Northwest Jersey Athletic Association with a perfect 14-0 mark and the school’s first-ever Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament championship.
But coming into the season Hauptly was cautiously optimistic about the Vikings as they returned a talented group of 14 seniors who helped the Vikes qualify for states with a 7-13 record in 2009.
And the season didn’t get off to a great start as the Vikings lost Marinaro, an All-State defender. But Marinaro showed the true spirit of a senior leader. She said after three days of being extremely upset, she came to accept her fate.
But instead of feeling sorry for herself she made it her mission to attend all the games and be as much an inspiration to her teammates as possible and the Vikings responded.
Even after the loss to Randolph, Marinaro, who was upset, was a rock for her mates and consoled them as the realization of the end of the season hit the Vikes.
It was quite something to see. Most people would have drowned in self pity, but not Marinaro. She is quite a special kid.
But this was a special bunch of kids who achieved special things on the field. First off, 22 straight wins is a great accomplishment, to say the least.
Coming into the season many people thought High Point with the return of the bulk of its H/W/S championship club would be the top team in American Division and Sussex County.
Kittatinny was also bringing back a talented group and you can never count out Sparta or Pope John when it comes to soccer.
Slowly but surely as the season went on, the Vikings started to build steam. They beat Randolph and Franklin early in the season before topping High Point, Sparta and Pope John twice before the H/W/S really kicked into gear.
It was in the tourney that the Vikes started to get some state-wide recognition and rightfully so. They topped a very good North Hunterdon squad 2-1 in OT on memorable goal by super sophomore Lauren Parak in the semis before dominating Hunterdon Central 3-1 in the final.
Senior Kellianne Baumann was named the tourney’s MVP as the Vikes outscored their opponents 16-3 during their championship run.
What will stick out in my mind, however, was defender Corrin McCarthy coming up on a corner kick and scoring her first goal of the season to get the Vikes on the scoreboard in the championship game.
That is when you know it is going to be your day and what a day it was for the Vikings.
After the big win Vernon still had to play out its American Division schedule and the Vikes topped Jefferson and Montville before losing to Randolph. The Randolph game was the Vikings’ fourth game in seven days.
I’m not making excuses for the Vikes as they had plenty of opportunities to score against the Rams, but you could see that their legs were getting heavy in the second half and in OT. That is a lot of soccer to play in a short amount time, especially at the high level Vernon plays.
And what a level that was. There was nothing more enjoyable to watch this fall than Baumann and Parak flying up and down the field leaving their opponents behind. The senior and sophomore were an almost unstoppable duo and could score many different ways.
Getting the ball to the jack rabbits up top was Mallory Costello, a supremely-gifted athlete and distributor, and Kim Castro. The duo dominated the midfield behind Costello’s nimble feet and the booming leg of Castro who was terrific on corner kicks and restarts.
Shannon Buruchian was as solid as they come in the midfield as she did it on both ends of the field. And when came to leadership and fine play, Ashleigh Berge supplied both for the Vikings on the other side of the field.
As good as Vernon’s attack was, its defense was terrific all season in front of keeper Sara Benfante with 14 shutouts. The Vernon back line of Brittany Parak, Brianna Glander, Hailey Anderson and outstanding center defender Brittany Ast was second to none.
Parak and Glander brought a calm grace to the defense as they never got frazzled. Anderson was a true unsung hero with her smart plays and throw-ins while Ast was absolutely dynamic in the middle.
Ast’s blinding speed made it seem like there were two of her out there and she was never afraid to push up because she knew her fellow defenders had her back. She was just a blast to watch.
Benfante didn’t see too much action but when called up she came through. She was great against Randolph and North Hunterdon when the Vikes needed her the most.
The Vikes possessed great depth too, with McCarthy, Emily Bushey, Jamesha Goodrich, Katie Nelson, Rebecca Rich and Nora Sweeney coming off the bench. They all probably could have started on other teams but they filled their roles nicely.
Although the Vikings will lose a great senior class the cupboard is not bare with Lauren Parak, Costello, Nelson and Bushey back. The Vikings also had a strong junior varsity team led by coach Steve Carlson, so don’t throw any dirt on the Vikes, just yet.
Vernon has a rich tradition in girls soccer back to the days of Michelle Van Atta, to the Wyble and Boyle sisters, Kelly Lancaster, Meghan McGrath and Jessie LaSorsa. It was nice to see the Vikes return to their glory days.
And despite the loss to Randolph, the Vikes should heed Marinaro’s words: They made history and no one can take that away from them.
That’s it for now, see you on the sidelines.
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