Harrison girls soccer begins season with two shutouts. (Observer Online)
By Jason Bernstein
Observer Sports Writer
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After a historic 14-4-1 season a year ago, Bryan Jablonsky warned his Harrison girls soccer team that it wouldn’t be able to sneak up and surprise opponents anymore like it might have in the past.
There may not be an element of surprise anymore, but the end results have been the same to start the season.
Fueled by the confidence built from last year and the hunger to go even further this year, the Blue Tide have opened the season with shutouts over Park Ridge and Butler.
“When we went to the NJIC preseason meeting, a lot of the coaches came up to us saying that we’re definitely on the radar,” said Jablonsky. “We’re definitely not going to be a surprise.
“There’s definitely a hunger. There’s definitely a chip on the shoulder to get the job done. A lot of the girls on the team have a sour taste after the way certain parts of our season ended last year.”
Several members of last year’s team, which made the Hudson County Tournament semifinals for the first time are back, especially on the attack.
Heading that group is senior Thalia Sosa, who is back after scoring 22 goals with 11 assists a year ago. The striker looks poised for even more this year, totaling four goals and an assist to start the season.
“She’s been working extremely hard in the offseason on developing a left footed shot,” Jablonsky said. “She’s reading defenses really well, understanding off the ball movement much better than last year.
“Her talent has always been there, now she’s putting it all together.”
Also back is attacking center-midfielder Genesis Vallejo. The junior, who had 16 goals and nine assists last season, already has three goals and four assists through the first two games.
While Sosa and Vallejo have been a dynamic one-two combination, they are hardly alone in terms of scoring threats for Harrison. Junior Stefy Rosales (two goals) and senior Romina Sosa (three assists) are returning starters in the midfield who are off to strong starts this fall after combining for 13 goals and 16 assists last year.
Joining them on the outside are seniors Nada Bana (eight goals last year) and Kassandra Rodriguez. While both are better known for their work in flag football, the two speedsters put an added level of stress to opposing defenses, especially on Harrison’s side field.
“They are just creating so much of an impact on the field, creating all this space because they’re (covering so much ground) with their speed,” said Jablonsky. “It’s incredible how fast they are and the adjustments that the other teams have to make.”
Freshmen Teresa Espindola and Guadalupe Rosales are two other talented offensive players sure to see minutes. Junior Ali Lizama and senior Oriana Velasquez are holding defensive midfielders, who will get significant time.
While the Blue Tide are not quite as experienced on the backline, it does have plenty of potential, starting with one of the top defenders in the NJIC in sophomore Adama Sowe. Her combination of height and speed allows the center back to be a potential difference maker in nearly every situation.
“If I were to tell someone that she’s a senior, they believe it because of the maturity and leadership that she has,” Jablonsky said. “Defensively, her IQ is just above and beyond. She’s just overall, a great defender.”
Flanking Sowe in Harrison’s three girl backline are sophomore Nayellly Linares and freshman Luana Alva. Lizama and Velasquez can move back a level when Harrison elects to go with a four-back formation. Senior Emily Inahuazo and junior Lorena Mejia Alzate are also set to see time in the back
Starting in goal is freshman Oriana Barrera, who has begun her career with back-to-back shutouts.
“Something that we haven’t had in quite some time is a goalkeeper that’s actually very comfortable with the ball on her feet as well,” said Jablonsky. “She plays almost as another defender.”
Jablonsky and the Blue Tide are fortunate to have a more than capable backup in Julia Martins. Last year, the junior was Harrison’s starting keeper and recorded eight shutouts.
Harrison returned to action on Sept. 15 at Lodi before beginning a three-game homestand starting Thursday against Secaucus, followed by Leonia on Saturday and McNair on Monday. The Blue Tide’s Oct. 7 game against Secaucus is set to be played at Sports Illustrated Stadium.