A new season with a new coach greeted the girls soccer team when they opened the 2017 campaign with lots of uncertainty. But after a 1-2 start, the team does not find itself discouraged. They took care of business against Colonia and played their rivals Hunterdon Central and Bridgewater-Raritan tough in both losses.

New head coach Lennaert Bitter looks to bring a winning tradition to the team.

Senior Olivia Panagos, a current captain and starting defender, looks to lead the defense in their efforts.

“I don’t think the new coaching staff has thrown off the dynamic of our team,” Panagos said. “At first, it was weird doing new drills and having a new voice coaching us, but now we are all used to it.”

Bitter’s team definitely faced a huge obstacle before the season began as they lost one of their experienced offensive weapons, senior Amelia Curtis. The midfielder was one of the top scorers last season, and the team now has large shoes to fill.

Yet, even with the loss of Curtis, the team has plenty of young players with bright futures. In particular, Olivia Rutigliano, Alexa Swetz, Shelsea Rigby, and freshman Ava Curtis appear to be important players for the future of the program.

By the end of the season, the girls expect to be capable of beating teams such as Bridgewater.

“We played them our first game and I feel like we have grown and will keep getting better as the season goes on,” Panagos said. “If we ever gave the chance to play them again, I am sure we could beat them.”