Columbia HS girls soccer team shows strong progress

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MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Anya Terry scored two goals to lead the Columbia High School girls soccer team to a 4-2 win over Belleville on Sept. 29. Evie Campbell and Riley Rucker each had a goal.

Josie Brophy made four saves and Julia Hartley made three saves for Columbia.

CHS first-year head coach Sarah Cortes is pleased with her team’s progress.

“Our team this season has shown improvement with each game,” said Cortes in an email to the News-Record. “We have a lot of young, raw talent that I think will develop really well over the next couple of years. Ava Davis, Gigi Zakian and Lily Westhelle are doing a great job leading our team as captains this year. Even in our losses, I’ve been very pleased with the way the girls are playing. They’re beginning to understand how to move the ball effectively and how to position themselves throughout the field. Our biggest struggle this season is scoring, which I suspect comes from their lack of confidence in their shots. 

“We are working hard at improving in this area, and I foresee us finishing this season well above .500.”

Columbia lost to Caldwell, 3-0, on Monday, Oct. 3, to move to a 3-4-1 record.

Photos Courtesy of Lily Givoni.