Women’s Soccer Team on a roll at end of season

Mercer's women's soccer team started the season off down seven games to one, but turned it around to finish the season with seven wins, twelves losses and one tie, enabling them to compete in the Region XIX semifinals.

Mike DeAngelis, the assistant coach of the team for four years, said that the team had a lot of "tough luck losses" at the start of the season. "The games we lost were very close," he said.

DeAngelis says that the team turned their season around during a weekend trip to play against Lackawanna. During the trip, he says, the players become closer, which then translated to better on the field play. "We were losing the first half and came back and won," said DeAngelis.

Both DeAngelis and head coach Michelle Ogborn-Haywood noted how the women's teamwork began to improve during the second half of their season.

"The players started to buy into the system," said DeAgenlis.

According to defender Irene Calabria, "[Ogborn-Haywood] tried to keep us together. She kept us as a group, as a family."

Calabria attributes the team's improvement to a growing "confidence between the girls on the team." She went on to say that the players "changed some behaviors" such as selfishness. "We learned we have to give our best in every game and don't give up. Accept when you lose and why," Calabria said.

Calabria believes that game in which they played their best was their last home game, in which they lost to Ocean County College 0-1 in overtime. Ocean, their season rival, was always favored to win, but Mercer played hard until the end.

"We played overtime, and we played so good," said Calabria.

Irene Calabria and Samantha Biondi were picked for the Garden State Athletic Conference First Team, and were also named to the First Team All-Region XIX.

"Irene has tremendous heart, and she's a team leader... Sam is a huge leader on the field," said DeAngelis.

Chelsea Pitonyak was also named to the Second Team All-Region XIX.

"Chelsea is a young player and did an awesome job in her first year. The sky's the limit for what she can do next year," said DeAngelis.

After losing the semifinal game 0-1 to Burlington, the top ranked team, the players will spend the off season training and getting ready for next fall.