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MCCC
Athlete of the Week
2011-12
9/6/11
Week
of May 13-19
Men's Tennis
Travis Virgil
East Windsor, NJ
Hightstown HS
Coach
Marc Vecchiolla has selected no. 2 singles/doubles player
Travis Virgil for the second time this season. According to
Vecchiolla, Virgil is "a class act both on and off the
court. Travis has an all-around game, solid versatile serve,
penetrating groundstrokes, and crisp volleys." The talented
sophomore finished the season with a combined singles and
doubles record of 35-12 and a 60-24 record in his two year
career at Mercer.
At the
NJCAA National Tournament in Plano, TX, earlier this month,
Virgil advanced to the singles and doubles (with partner Jeff
Castera) semifinals, falling to the eventual champions in
both of those flights. Mercer finished fourth out of 11 teams
with 20 points.
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Travis
Virgil
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Week
of May 6-12
Baseball
Matt
Berbon-Owle
Hamilton, NJ
Nottingham HS |
Peter
Pulhac
Bordentown, NJ
Bordentown Regional HS
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Coach
Kevin Kerins has selected two Vikings pitchers as Athletes
of the Week for making key contributions at the Region XIX
tournament, which was held at MCCC this past weekend. Freshman
Matt Berbon-Owle and sophomore Peter Pulhac both threw complete
games to help advance the Vikings to the Region XIX championship
game.
In Friday's
action, the Vikings beat Burlington CC 4-3 in the opening
game and then lost 4-1 to an undefeated Lackawanna squad.
The next morning, the Vikings again faced Burlington in the
double elimination tournament. The Vikings' 7-1 victory this
time was unequivocal. Next up was another go-round with Lackawanna,
which squeaked by with a 4-3 win.
The Vikings finish the season with a 29-15 record and an 18th
ranking nationally. Kerins credits the team's strong pitching
staff and hitting as critical factors in the team's success.
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Matt
Berbon-Owle
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Peter
Pulhac
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Week
of April 30-May 5
Men's Tennis
Travis
Virgil
East Windsor, NJ
Hightstown HS
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Jeff
Castera
Hamilton, NJ
Nottingham HS
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Travis
Virgil (no. 2 singles) and Jeff Castera (no. 4 singles) were
singles finalists in the Region 19 tournament that took place
over the weekend at the Mercer County Park Tennis Center.
They also made it to the finals as partnerse at no. 2 doubles.
Virgil's singles record this season is 16-6; Castera's record
is 18-4. In doubles action, their record is 17-4.
According
to Head Coach Marc Vecchiolla, both players devote many hours
to practicing and set a great example both on and off the
court.
Other
MCCC finalists were Adam Czaplinski and Elias DeLeon. The
Vikings came in second in the tournament, behind a very strong
Gloucester squad, which won every flight. Brookdale CC came
in third. All three teams will travel to the NJCAA National
Tournament, to be held in Plano, TX, May 14-18.
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Travis
Virgil
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Jeff
Castera
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Week
of April 23-29
Softball
Stephanie
Canulli
Ewing, NJ
Ewing High School |
Emily
Price
Hopwell, NJ
Hopewell High School
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With losses
in a doubleheader against Brookdale last week, the Vikings
were forced to compete in a "must-win" play-in round
against Raritan CC over the weekend in order to qualify for
the Region 19 Tournament. According to Coach Ryan Zegarski,
his team -- which has done so much with its small roster --
continues to give 100 percent, adn earned the two wins it
needed to move on.
Freshman
pitcher Stephanie Canulli was on the mound for both victories
(3-1 and 7-5) and added a couple of hits. Freshman outfielder
Emily Price had 4 hits in the two games and also played great
defense.
The Vikings
will enter the Region 19 tournament as the no. 4 seed. The
tournament will be played May 5 and 6 at Morris CC.
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Stephanie
Canulli
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Emily
Price
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Week
of April 16-22
Softball
Brittany Szafran
Ewing, NJ
Ewing High School
According
to Head Coach Ryan Zegarski, centerfielder Brittany Szafran
has played outstanding defense in centerfield. Her offense
has also been strong, with a total of 17 hits in the last
two weeks alone.
With a
23-9 record thus far, the Vikings are in the home stretch
of the regular season. Despite their small numbers, they have
shown tremendous determination and teamwork in every game
-- with a record to prove it. They complete the regular season
in doubleheaders against Brookdale on April 24 (away) and
Morris on April 25 (home). The post-season begins April 28.
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Brittany
Szafran
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Week
of April 9-15
Baseball
Michael Constantini
Yardville, NJ
Steinert High School
As a sophomore
captain, Michael Constantini has been a true team leader,
according to Head Coach Kevin Kerins. The talented shortstop
has been a hard worker and stellar performer, playing in all
35 of the Vikings' games thus far. He has a .378 batting average,
with 48 hits, 10 doubles, 34 runs scored and 25 RBI, a .460
on-base percentage and 7 stolen bases. Constantini plans to
play baseball at West Virginia University next year.
With a
current record of 25-10, the Vikings are nearing the end of
the regular season. Constantini will be counted on as the
Vikings look to excel in post-season play and bring home the
Region 19 title. The Region 19 tournament will be played at
MCCC from May 11-13.
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Michael
Constantini
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Week
of April 1- 8
Men's Tennis
Elias
DeLeon
Trenton, NJ
Ewing High School
In what
he calls a "match for the ages," Coach Marc Vecchiolla
has selected #5 singles player Elias DeLeon for his clutch
play in the Vikings' 5-4 win over Suffolk ( NY) on April 4.
With the teams even at 4-4, DeLeon's four-hour marathon match
proved to be the tiebreaker. He won the first set 6-4 and
dropped the second set 3-6 after his arm began to cramp. In
an extremely close third set, Elias took a 5-3 lead, winning
points that lasted up to 20 rallies. His opponent fought back
and tied the set 6-6. They played a 12-point tiebreak to decide
the match (first to win 7 points). DeLeon took a 6-3 lead
and his opponent refused to give up, winning the next two
points to close the gap to 6-5. Elias won another long rally
at 6-5 to clinch the team victory. The Vikings are off to
a 5-1 start; they will play 12 additional matches this month.
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Elias
DeLeon
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Week
of March 18-24
Softball
Angela
Marinos
Hamilton, NJ
Steinert HS
Despite
their small numbers, the Vikings have started off the season
strong, getting the most out of a talented squad. According
to Head Coach Ryan Zegarski, catcher/infielder Angela Marinos
is leading the charge at bat. She is 22 for 29, with a .758
average and 11 RBIs.
The Vikings
spent spring break warming up at the Snowbird Classic in Myrtle
Beach, SC, playing four games and coming away 2-2. Thier current
record is 8-4.
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Angela
Marinos
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Week
of Feb. 26 - March 4
Baseball
Chris
Rupprecht
Sophomore
Morrisville, PA
Pennsbury HS
Pitcher
Chris Rupprecht has been selected as the first Athlete of
the Week for the 2012 baseball season. A returning sophomore,
Chris has a record of 2-0 on the mound, helping the Vikings
beat Southern Maryland 8-2 on Feb. 24 and Community College
of Rhode Island 3-1 on March 4.
Rupprecht pitched a total of 12 innings, with an ERA of 2.25.
He gave up 3 earned runs and 6 hits, while striking out 10
and walking only 2.
The Vikings
are enjoying a strong start with a record of 5-1.
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Chris
Rupprecht
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Week of Jan. 15-21
Women's Basketball
Heather Gurdon
Freshman
Perrineville, NJ
Allentown
HS
Heather
Gurdon has been a steady presence for women's basketball team
through a tough season. Gurdon works hard on both ends of
the court, playing guard, forward and wherever else she is
needed. Head Coach Mike Tenaglia praises Gurdon for taking
care of the ball and for being "a team player who does
all the little things a player needs to be successful."
Gurdon is currently averaging 7.8 points and 3.4 rebounds
per game. The Lady Vikings will depend on Gurdon's selfless
and scrappy play to continue over the next few weeks as they
take on some competitive opponents in the region.
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Heather
Gurdon
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Week
of Jan. 8- 14
Men's Basketball
Brandin Youngblood
Sophomore
Trenton, NJ
Bordentown Regional HS
As one
of two returning players, Brandin Youngblood has stepped up
as a leader for the young Vikings team. He has nearly tripled
his scoring average this season, with 9.23 points per game.
Leading the Vikings in scoring in three of the team's last
four games, he had a big night in Mercer's 79-65 win over
Manor CC January 10, scoring 25 points. Coach Howard Levy
praises Youngblood for his hard work and solid play at both
ends of the court. The Vikings will count on continued strong
performances by Youngblood as they fight to qualify for the
Region 19 Playoffs.
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Brandin
Youngblood
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Week
of Nov. 27-Dec. 3
Women's Basketball
Chanel Johnson
Sophomore
Trenton, NJ
Hamilton West HS
Although
the women's basketball team is still struggling to get into
the win column, that has not stopped one of its returning
players from having a great start to the year. After six games,
sophomore point guard Chanel Johnson is averaging 20.3 points
per game. Mercer fell just short of its first win Dec. 1 at
Ocean, losing 63-60, with Johnson scoring 32 of the Vikings'
points. She also came up big on Dec. 3 against Del Tech Stanton,
scoring 19 points and adding three assists in a 68-49 loss.
The sophomore guard has been a leader for a young team and
is expected to continue to control the offense for the Vikings,
who will look for their first win Tuesday night vs. Morris.
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Chanel
Johnson
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Week
of Nov. 6-12
Women's Cross Country
Sierra
Downs
Freshman
Hamilton Square, NJ
Steinert HS
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Erika
Manley
Princeton, NJ
Freshman
Franklin Twp HS |
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According
to Coach Erin Cahill, runners Erika Manley and Sierra Downs
were leaders for women's cross country throughout the season
and they also led the way for the Vikings at the NJCAA Championships,
which took place in Hobbs, New Mexico, Nov. 12.
Manley
beat a rival runner from Essex (NJ) CC who had beaten her
at the Region 19 Championships in October, while Downs crossed
the finish line just 10 seconds behind an Essex runner who
had finished over two minutes faster than her at regionals.
Cahill notes that both Manley and Downs peaked at the right
time. "Both runners turned in very strong workouts in
the weeks leading up to nationals and stepped up to run their
best on the national stage. They have run hard all year and
their dedication and effort paid off. To run your best at
the last meet of the year is exactly what a coach hopes for
and both runners did just that."
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Erika
Manley
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Sierra
Downs
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Week of Oct. 24-30
Women's Tennis
Alison
Noll
Sophomore
Monmouth Jct., NJ
South Brunswick HS |
Melanie
Hunter
Sophomore
Trenton, NJ
Nottingham HS
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The women's
tennis team is basking in the glow of its stellar performance
at the NJCAA National Tournament at the Billie Jean King Tennis
Center in Queens, NY. Five MCCC players advanced to the finals,
earning the Vikings a second place finish.
Sophomore Alison Noll is once again the national winner at
no. 1 singles, proving a dominant force in every round. Coach
Marc Vecchiolla praises Noll for her intelligent, strategic
style of play and impeccable footwork.
Sophomore Melanie Hunter (no. 4 singles and no. 3 doubles)
earned All-American Honors with her doubles partner Kelly
Tanzone. Vecchiolla cites the vast improvement and hard work
that Hunter has put into her game during her two years on
the Mercer squad.
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Alison
Noll
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Melanie
Hunter
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Week
of Oct. 17-23
Women's Cross Country
Jaqueline
Goncalves
Freshman
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Joaquim Rodriguez Maduriera
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Anajae Register
Freshman
Trenton, NJ
Allentown HS
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The performances
of freshmen runners Jaqueline Goncalves and Anajae Register
helped Mercer take second place at the Region 19 Championships
on Saturday. This marks the first time that the Vikings competed
as a scoring team in over 20 years. Goncalves and Register
finished in 9th and 10th place respectively, which earned
both of them All Region Division I Honors.
According to Head Coach Erin Cahill, Goncalves is a hard worker
who has continued to improve over the season. "Jaqueline
pushes herself every day and that has paid off as she continues
to get faster with each race." Cahill is also pleased
with the effort put forth by Register, who was forced to take
a month off from running due to an injury, but came back this
week to successfully compete at regionals. Cahill described
Register's performance on Saturday as "gritty and tough.
Anajae was not at her best, but she gave it her all and finished
strong."
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Jaqueline
Goncalves
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Anajae
Register
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Week
of Oct. 10-16
Women's Tennis
Alina
Vitukhnovskaya
Freshman
Lawrenceville, NJ
Lawrence High School
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Ewa
Szyszko
Freshman
Lawrenceville, NJ
Lawrence High School
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The women's
tennis team had a highly successful weekend at the NJCAA Regional
Touranment Oct. 14-15. For the first time since 2005, the
Vikings are the NJCAA Region 19 champs.
According to Coach Marc Vecchiolla, stellar performances by
numerous players contributed to the winning team total. Clinching
the championship for MCCC was the finals win at no. 6 singles
by Alina Vitukhnovskaya, who defeated Joanne O'Donnell of
Gloucester CC 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-2. (O'Donnell had defeated Vitukhnovskaya
earlier
in the season.) Vecchiolla notes that Vitukhnovskaya's game
is based on a powerful serve and forehand.
Ewa Szyszko also had a great tournament, teaming with Alison
Noll to win the first doubles flight 6-3, 6-4 over Heidi Denn
and Farrah Smoke of Brookdale. In addition, Szyszko made it
to the finals at no. 3 singles, where she played her best
match of the season in a loss to Ann Marie Wodell of Ocean
4-6, 3-6. Vechiolla praises Szyszko as a tactical player who
relies on consistency, placement and a wide variety of shots
that keep her opponents guessing.
The Vikings head to Flushing, NY, from Oct. 26-28 to play
in the NJCAA National Tournament.
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Ewa
Szyszko
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Alina
Vitukhnovskaya
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Week
of Oct. 3-9
Men's Soccer
Jonni Ventura
Sophomore
Westminster, MA
Oakmont Regional High School
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Sascha
Haecker
Freshman
Germany
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The efforts
of a veteran player and recently added rookie helped the men's
soccer team come through a tough stretch 2-1, with wins over
rival Essex CC Oct. 5 and Prince George's CC Oct. 9. Midfielder
Jonni Ventura had an assist in the 3-2 win over Essex. He
added a goal in the Vikings' 4-3 loss to Montgomery-Rockville
Oct. 8, and had an assist and a goal in the 3-0 win over Prince
George's. Coach Snyder credits Ventura for his toughness and
coming up with big plays to spark the Mercer offense.
Freshman Sascha Haecker has been a strong presence since joining
the Vikings roster two weeks ago. His efforts in the Essex
game created a scoring opportunity off a penalty kick rebound
by Jon Louisignau, tying the game 2-2 before the Vikings went
on to win in overtime. In Sunday's victory over Prince George's,
Haecker scored his first collegiate goal. His skilled play
is creating more offensive chances and Coach Snyder will look
to Haecker to continue with vital assistance in the midfield.
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Jonni
Ventura
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Sascha
Haecker
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Week
of Sept. 26-Oct. 2
Women's Soccer
Camille
Little
Freshman
Hamilton, NJ
Nottingham High School
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Nicole
Gilliland
Sophomore
Ewing, NJ
Ewing High School |
Different
girls are "stepping up their game" each week, reports
head coach Michelle Ogborn-Haywood, whose Vikings are now
in the win column after two victories this week, an 8-0 route
against Camden CC Sept. 29 and a 2-1 win against Lackawanna
Oct. 1. One reason for their growing success is utility player
Camille Little, who has played wing, center midfielder and
fullback. Using her speed, ball control and aggresssiveness,
she is a "versatile player who can be moved anywhere
and play well anywhere. She is really good on both offense
and defense," says Ogborn-Haywood. "Camille is tough,
confident and inspiring to other players."
Another
significant contributor is stopper Nicole Gilliland. After
being briefly sidelined with an injury, she has proven to
be one of the Vikings' most skilled and fearless defenders.
According to Ogborn-Haywood, Nicole is so effective in the
back field that she can have five opposing players working
their way down field and approaching the goal, step into that
group, and come away with the ball. "What a great defender,
and what an asset to our team!"
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Camille
Little
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Nicole
Gilliland
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Week
of Sept. 19-25
Women's Tennis
Alison
Noll
Sophomore
Monmouth Jct., NJ
South Brunswick HS |
Kelly
Tanzone
Freshman
Hamilton, NJ
Steinert HS |
The Mercer
Invitational, held at the Mercer County Tennis Center Sept.
23-24, proved that this year's women's tennis team is ready
to play with the best. According to head coach Marc Vecchiolla,
Region 19 is highly competitive. "On any particular day
any team can win," he said. "This weekend brought
out our very best, as we played at home for the first time
this year."
Sophomore Alison Noll (no.1) and freshman Kelly Tanzone (no.
5) both won their flights in singles action, helping the team
earn a first place finish. Noll
and partner Ewa Szyszko also won at no. 1 doubles.
Vecchiolla
notes that Noll is "a really special player, by far the
best female player in the history of our program. It's nice
to watch her compete. We don't take it for granted. Kelly
is a first-year player who shows great promise. She has a
steady, scrappy baseline game and competed for every point
this weekend. Her results show that she is capable of doing
some wonderful things at this level."
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Alison
Noll
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Kelly
Tanzone
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Week
of Sept. 12-18
Women's Cross Country
Sierra
Downs
Freshman
Hamilton Square, NJ
Steinert HS
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Erika
Manley
Princeton, NJ
Freshman
Franklin Twp HS |
Freshmen
Sierra Downs and Erika Manley led the Lady Vikings to a second
place finish at the Dukes Invitational this past Saturday
at Cumberland County College, with Manley finishing third
overall and Downs coming in fourth. The two ran together for
the first two miles of the 5K race before Manley, in her first
collegiate contest, broke away with a half-mile to go. Now
in its second season, this marks the cross country program's
first meet as a full scoring team.
According to head coach Erin Cahill, both runners work hard
and push each other in practice, and they followed the same
strategy in their first meet together. Downs has been a team
leader since preseason and Manley, a late addition to the
roster, fit right in and has proven a natural. Cahill expects
these top two runners to build on their early success in coming
meets.
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Sierra
Downs
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Erika
Manley
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Week
of Sept. 5-11
Women's Soccer
Samantha
Biondi
Sophomore
Hamilton, NJ
Steinert HS
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Jessica
Larson
Freshman
Jackson, NJ
Jackson Memorial HS |
While
the women's soccer team is still looking for all of its hard
work to translate into a win, new head coach Michelle Ogborn-Haywood
is encouraged with the progress she has seen in each game
and her players' growing display of teamwork.
According
to Ogborn-Haywood, two standout players are
sophomore midfielder Sam Biondi and freshman goalie Jessica
Larsen. Biondi, the team's captain, approaches every game
with 100 percent commitment and has been a truly positive
influence on the entire squad. She scored one of the goals
in the Vikings' 6-3 loss against Brookdale. Returning from
an injury last year, Biondi adds strength and skill to the
lineup.
Freshman
Jessica Larson has proven tough as nails, showing tremendous
strength and resilience in goal. She has already had 20 saves
just three games into the season.
The Vikings will look to improve on their 0-3 record with
Region 19 games against Gloucester on Sept. 17 and Morris
on Sept. 20.
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Samantha
Biondi
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Jessica
Larson
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Week
of Aug. 29-Sept. 4
Men's Soccer
Precious
Iloka
Sophomore
Hamilton, NJ
Nottingham HS
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Sheldon
Parkinson
Sophomore
Trenton, NJ
Lehman HS
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New head
coach Pat Snyder is more than satisfied with the way his team
handled its first two games of the season. The Vikings proved
too much for Del Tech Terry (DE) on Sept. 3, winning 9-0 in
an away game. The total team effort included goals by seven
players, including sophomore forward Precious Iloka, a former
Colonial Valley Conference standout.
On Sept.
4, Mercer faced highly-ranked Massasoit (MA) at home. Up just
1-0 at halftime, the Vikings went on to win 4-0, with Iloka
scoring two of the goals. Goalie Sheldon Parkinson was a commanding
presence in goal, earning two shutouts and a solid start to
the season.
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Precious
Iloka
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Sheldon
Parkinson
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