Sep 07, 2022
Middletown South Girls Soccer Needs to Retool
By Les Pierce
Senior Makayla Jaffe was Middletown South’s leading scorer last season.
This might be a restructuring year for the Middletown High School South girls’ soccer team. Eight seniors have been lost to graduation – a group that accounted for 50 percent of the scoring.
One bright spot is that the squad’s leading scorer, Makayla Jaffe (eight goals, two assists) is returning. The senior offers significant versatility, having played as a forward, midfielder and defender when needed. In 2021, she was named to the Shore Coaches A North All Division squad and the Shore Coaches All Monmouth County Second Team.
Also contributing to the offense will be Marisa Seckular (Sr. M), Kate Malvica (Sr. F/M), Abby Doherty (Sr. F/M/D), Deaven Cannon (Sr. M), Jennifer Schuster (Jr. F/D), Lauren Ceuvels (Jr. F), Riley Benbrook (Jr. F), Grace Gironda (So. M), Natalie Percello (So. F), Riley Bent (So. F) and Amanda MacGregor (So. F/M). Gironda, Percello, Bent and MacGregor all put in considerable playing time as freshmen.
The backfield will be handled by Erin Prince (Sr. D), Camryn Szotak (Jr. D) and Nicolette Schreiber (Jr. D). Goalkeeper Allie Greco netted an amazing 147 saves in 2021. The junior was named to the Shore Coaches A North All Division squad and the Shore Coaches All Monmouth County Second Team last year.
“Allie Greco is a player to watch as she was chosen first team all division and second team all county as a sophomore,” Head Coach Megan Barry said. “These were huge accomplishments as A North is very competitive and the amount of talented players in the county is incredible. She impresses all with her instincts, her ability to read the play and her footwork.”
“We are excited about a strong incoming freshman class and there is an even distribution of talent and experience across all grades,” Barry stated. “I wouldn’t say we are rebuilding, but we will need to reinvent some of what has made us successful with some of the talent we have lost over the last two years, players like Katie Coyle and Meghan Carragher. We are relying on seniors who won a sectional title as freshman to lead us.”
The Middletown South program boasts a 42-11-1 record over the past three seasons. Barry is entering her eighth season at the helm.
