It’s time to put together another scrapbook.
In the midst of a long, incredible playoff run by the Paul VI High School girls soccer team, coach Karen Anderson went digging through her closet looking for memories from when she played for the Eagles more than 20 years ago.
“I was pulling out newspaper articles that the girls [on the team] had never seen before,” Anderson said with a laugh. “My mom kept all of these articles. I didn’t know I was ever going to pull these out. It’s like a time capsule of taking it all back to when we played.”
Photo Gallery: Paul VI vs. Immaculate Heart Championship Game
In 1999, Anderson’s Paul VI team won a South Jersey championship when she was a freshman. The memories of riding the bus for hours as the temperatures dropped, the thrilling victories, and capturing the first sectional title in the program’s history were all resurfacing as the 2022 Eagles similarly embarked on a magical run through the South Jersey Non-Public A playoffs as a No. 7 seed, gathering impressive upset wins along the way.
On Nov. 8, they had done it, defeating top-seeded Red Bank Catholic, 2-1, to win the school’s second sectional title in school history. The Eagles had come a long way after winning just six of their first 13 regular season games. Anderson pointed to a 1-0 loss at Sterling on Sept. 27 as a turning point. The Eagles lost their third game in a row and didn’t play particularly well that day.
“We had a bad game, and the girls got together and decided whether that was going to be a turning point for their season or if we continued to go backward,” Anderson recalled. “They turned it around, and I am so proud of them.”
From that point on, things started to click. Anderson tinkered with the lineup and started to realize a key component was rising to the occasion. The Eagles actually didn’t have a goalie heading into the season before Emily Monforto raised her hand to volunteer to play the crucial position. Once she caught up to speed, Monforto became an integral part of the success.
“We had a strong defense and a solid midfield and strikers that could finish, but we also needed a goalie that could save some of these shots that we were getting against the tough competition,” Anderson said. “She stepped in and filled that role so well. It was a blessing.”
With Monforto playing behind a strong defensive line, the Eagles could put their worries aside and go to work on offense. Senior Olivia Brocious, a Drexel University commit, led the team with 18 goals, and junior Ave Martin was the perfect complement as the Eagles went deep into the playoffs.
“Olivia was our senior captain this year, and she really took the playoff run on her shoulders,” Anderson said. “She made sure that whatever the team goals were during that run, we went out and accomplished them. She stepped up.”
Brocious scored seven times in the playoffs, including a hat trick in the opening round 7-1 win over Donovan Catholic. She scored the lone goal in the quarterfinal round at Saint John Vianney and added another in a 3-0 seminal win over Immaculata. After Sofia Marchese tied the game against Red Bank Catholic in the South Jersey championship, Martin scored the game winner on a pass from Brocious.
“Ave really stepped up for us,” Anderson said. “She was Olivia’s counterpart. Those two together really helped us carry and get those goals when they mattered.”
The Eagles had shocked South Jersey and nearly shocked the entire state as they led 3-1 in the second half in the state championship game Nov. 13 at Kean University. But powerful Immaculate Heart stormed back to tie the game and eventually swiped the win in overtime. It was a crushing defeat for Paul VI as it tried to win its first state title, but it was a run they can certainly be proud of.
It didn’t take the team long to realize what they had accomplished. A team that bonded so well during the long bus rides across the state wasn’t going to go quietly into the night as it pulled out of Kean University and headed home.
“It was quiet at first,” Anderson said. “But after those feelings [of loss] go away, we have those players who make you laugh, and they came out at that time. After that, we had our regular ride home with singalongs and enjoyed that last bus ride and each other.”
The Eagles had just two seniors in the starting lineup including Brocious and Brooke Coco. The rest of the squad is hungry for more. And looking for another chance to add more stories to the scrapbook.
“They probably wish the season started next week,” Anderson said. “They are ready to go. I think this was a little taste of what we could get to. And now they know they can accomplish it.”
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