Voorhees Sun

By TONY MARQUIS | The Voorhees Sun
The Eastern girls soccer team hung their heads, walked slowly off the field and huddled around their coach.
Just minutes before, they had lost the South Jersey Group 4 championship to Lenape by one goal, ending the Vikings’ unpredictable run at their third title in the last five years.
Some of them broke down and cried. But coach Jamie McGroarty wouldn’t have it.
“We had our chances,” McGroarty said. “Considering we didn’t even make the playoffs last year, for us to be in this game, that’s an achievement.”
Eastern won seven games last year – its worst season under McGroarty after state championships in 2005 and 2006. But, from the No. 6 seed in the playoffs, the Vikings won 16 games this season and made it to the Group 4 championship.
“We came really far – people didn’t expect us to come back from the record we had last year,” senior Kerri Aiken said. “We proved people wrong – it’s just a shame we had to lose this one.”
The team was led by seven seniors – players who remembered the frustrations from 2008. Players like Kelsey Long, who had her best year of four seasons on varsity, scoring 14 goals with a team-high 10 assists, or Mariah Alber and Adriana Konstantinides, who played key parts in Eastern’s comeback season.
“This year we really came together as a team,” said goalkeeper Deana Wood, who had 10 shutouts this year. “We had good chemistry – we kept getting closer and closer to each goal we set.”
Though they lost to Lenape 3-0 in their season opener, the Vikings were coming into the Group 4 championship on a four-game winning streak.
Underclassmen were also starting to play larger roles on the team, especially Madison Tiernan, who led Eastern with 19 goals, and Sidney Cetrullo and Serena Hitchins, who combined for 11 assists.
But the wind and cold rain cooled the Vikings’ momentum and after his team escaped with a win on a late goal by Katie Rigby, Lenape coach Kevin Meder complimented Eastern’s improvement.
“I think both teams are just two totally different teams now,” Meder said. “I thought (Eastern) played a really strong game.”
Though they’ll be gone next year, the senior class has high expectations for even more improvement in 2010.
“The team’s going to be really good,” Aiken said. “And I know McG’s going to keep them in shape – they’re going to go far.”