The U14G Pride were crowned champions at the Wall Fall Classic.  The Championship game went into sudden death overtime when Gabriela Portilla flicked a header on a pass from Morgan Hendry for the decisive goal in the 78^th minute to defeat the Battle of Monmouth (BOM).

The game was a seesaw as BOM struck first on a solid shot from beyond the eighteen line but the Pride fought back before half time when Gabriela Portilla placed a one timer on a pass from Morgan Hendry that was outside the keeper’s reach.  BOM regained the lead when they scored off a corner kick to go ahead and once again the Pride came back and scored with 2 minutes to go in regulation when Alex Hendry headed a ball on a pass from her sister Morgan tied it and sent the match to overtime. 

Under the steady guidance of trainer and game coach Olli Harder, the Pride completed the sweep in their bracket and finished the tournament with a record of 4-0.  Goalkeeper Julia Capps and the defensive line (Briana D’Ambrosia, Ylana Lopez, Lindsay Patla, Jessica Sabatino, and Taylor Strype) registered two shutouts.  The scoring was well rounded across the midfield and forward lines: Caroline Mezzanotte (2 goals), Morgan Hendry (1 goal), Virginia Cummings (2 goals), Zoee D’Costa (2 goals), Alex Hendry (1 goal), Gabriela Portilla (3 goals).  In addition valuable contributions were made by Mia Caglieris, Natalie Cardulla, and Courtney Dignan who was with the team in spirit.

• The Pride is a premier level team and we play a league and tournament schedule in that class
• Our goal is to develop the girls’ soccer skills and play at a competitive level for participation in high school and beyond
• Our success will be measured by that standard and not by wins and losses
• We need commitment from the players on our roster to come to practice and games with proper mental focus and desire to play
• Playing time will be decided by the Head Coach/Trainer and based on demonstrated skill, commitment, and intangibles such as player attitude, coachability, effort, technique, athletic ability, knowledge of the game (being able to read game-play, in the right position for each situation), and decision making (both on and off the ball)

• Our target for training days will be Thursday evenings from 7:30 – 9:00 and Saturday mornings from 9:00 – 10:30
• Weekly training for the fall season will begin after Labor Day weekend and continue through the end of the season (early November)
• Weekly training for the spring will begin in mid March and conclude in early June
• We are also interested in reserving turf time at Mercer County Community Park for Saturday sessions beginning in mid February and concluding at the start of the Spring practice season (9:00 AM to 10:00 AM)
• We would like to run a training camp for the team at the end of August prior to the start of the season  

• We will apply for the JAGS league and target an 8 game schedule for the fall season and a 6 game schedule in the spring
• We will play in the NJ State Cup tournament for the fall
• We will target a minimum of three tournaments in each of the fall and spring seasons  

• Olli Harder will continue as Head Coach/Trainer
• Thomas Hendry will be the lead Team Manager we will card three additional assistant managers (Dean Cardulla, Bob D’Ambrosia, and Sal Sabatino)
• The success of the Pride team experience will depend on a collective effort among all the parents as there are many roles that need to be filled and the expectation is that each family will volunteer for one of the following:

• Uniform Fitting
• Treasurer
• Player Carding Process
• Game Scheduling and Field Directions
• Tournament Coordinator – Application and Registration
• TeamSnap Manager
• Sunburst Volunteer Coordinator
• Seasonal field volunteer duties – Setup and breakdown, miscellaneous field maintenance days
• SAGE Representative
• Game field setup and breakdown
• Ice – Games days for injuries