Girls Varsity Soccer Punt the 2018 Season Goodbye

Diego Rolon, Reporter

Since the end of the Woodbridge High School Girls Soccer Team’s season, it is time to hear about how exactly this season turned out from some players and Coach Mortensen.

Coach Mortensen is at his fourth year as the head girl’s varsity soccer coach.  Coach Mortensen graduated from King’s College with a bachelor degree in Business Administration; he is the Business Education teacher at WHS for five years now.

Spoken to about this season of girl’s soccer he said, “I felt we grew as the season went on,” and that he “was proud of the effort” the girls gave.

Coach Mortensen also touched upon what he looks for in a team and what he expects from his girls. When asked about what he looked for in a player he said, “the biggest thing I look for in a player is character. What type of person are they in and outside of school”. From this, he usually sees the “type of player they are on the field”. As for a team captain, he did not place any player in that role this season because, “as a coach[,] I wanted to see players step up as captain and grow up into that role”.

Coach Mortensen saw that the girls played their best this season on the field; however, for next years season he says that they will “finish stronger than we start”.

Brielle Skibar, a Junior at Woodbridge High School, spoke about how the season went for her. This was her third year playing girl’s soccer and plans on playing next year as well; she played defensive on the field. She spoke of how she became “eligible for [the] Rising Star Complete Athlete Program”.

She also mentioned some things she would like to improve for next years season, things like “football and ball control”. Brielle also hopes to do many more practices next year and said that she is “wishing all teams a safe and healthy season”.

Another player was Olivia Gattone, who is a Junior as well.  She has been on the girl’s soccer team for three years and plans on playing next year as well; she played mainly forward, but also center mid on the field. Olivia had many accomplishments this season; “MVP, made division all-star team, 3rd varsity award, [and was a] NJGSCA recipient.”

She touched upon practice with the girls this season and said, “we practiced a lot more than other sports, but what we practiced wasn’t taken seriously or shown on the field”.  However, she said that “[this] gives us a goal of what we want to be as a team”.

Olivia also mentioned that she would like to have more workouts/practices, that way the girls will be more “disciplined” and to “trust each other[s] abilities”. As for next years season, Olivia said it is to be “comeback season” for the girls.

Based off of the Coach’s determination and Olivia and Brielle’s mindset, the girl’s soccer team will be ready for a comeback.