Columbia Hs players work on drills during a practice session.
MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — In every soccer season, there is a team that can strike fear in their opponents just by appearing on the fall schedule. The team’s reputation for excellence on the pitch is undisputed and widely recognized.
“I really think we have the potential to be that team,” said Columbia High School girls soccer head coach Sarah Cortes on the precipice of her second year at the helm. “There’s so much talent on this team. I’m hoping we can bring it out this season.”
Conditions are favorable for Cortes’ players to tap their potential as a powerhouse. Many of the team’s starters are returning this season, led by team captains Ava Davis and Lily Westhelle, both rising seniors. Cortes also has a close ally in assistant coach Delaney Suarez, who was her teammate on the Seton Hall University women’s soccer team.
Both coaches know that to perform better than their 6-10-1 record last year, the team will need to improve its finishing and scoring. In other words, they’ll need to get the ball in the back of the opponent’s net, game after game.
Accomplishing that will be a matter of changing the mindset of many of the players, said Cortes, who is also a CHS counselor. The team will be working on being more confident on the field, taking more shots on goal and earning the right to have a little more swagger by the end of the season. “The biggest thing for us is showing everyone how good we really are,” Cortes said.
The Cougars’ season opener will be against the Nutley Raiders away at Father Glotzbach Field, located at 44 Park Ave., in Nutley, on Friday, Sept. 8, at 4 p.m. Their first home game will be against the Bloomfield Bengals on Monday, Sept. 11, at 7 p.m. at the Underhill Sports Complex.
Schedule
Sept. 8: at Nutley, 4 p.m.
Sept. 11: vs. Bloomfield, 7 p.m.
Sept. 13: vs. Cedar Grove, 4 p.m.
Sept. 15: at Newark East Side, 4 p.m.
Sept. 19: vs. East Orange Campus,4 p.m.
Sept. 21: vs. Mount St. Dominic, 4 p.m.
Sept. 23: at Glen Ridge, 10 a.m.
Sept. 27: vs. Newark Tech, 4 p.m.
Sept. 30: at Union, 11 a.m.
Oct. 2: at Perth Amboy, 4 p.m.
Oct. 4: at Caldwell, 4 p.m.
Oct. 9: at West Essex, 4 p.m.
Oct. 14: at Franklin, noon
Oct. 16: vs. Science Park, 5 p.m.
Oct. 18: at Jonathan Dayton, 4 p.m.
Photos Courtesy of Paul Brubaker/Communication Director of South Orange/Maplewood School District
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