Ridge Girls Soccer Seeks Return to the Top

The weather is starting to cool down, and that means fall sports are about to start for Ridge High School’s varsity squads. As opening day approaches, we're taking a look at each of the teams as they ready for competition. Today, we take a look at the Red Devils girls soccer team.

OVERVIEW
The Ridge High School girls soccer team is like a jigsaw puzzle; the Red Devils certainly have the pieces to reach their lofty goals for the 2011 season, it’s just a question of whether they’ll be able to put all those pieces together and return to glory as Somerset County’s winningest program over the past decade.

Among Ridge’s primary problem last season was its inability to find consistency. The Red Devils never strung more than two wins or two losses together, suffered all but three of their losses by two goals or less, and finished the season with 24 goals scored and 24 allowed. Ridge also suffered through a difficulty to win close games against top teams.

This year, with a new alignment and a renewed focus on possession and some different strategies, Coach Katie Donahue hopes to see her team in serious contention for some hardware later in the fall. The team this season has several players in new positions in an effort to overcome the loss of 10 seniors and six starters to graduation.

The Red Devils will employ a 3-4-3, a system that’s netted Ridge success in the past but hasn’t been used at Ridge in a few years. Donahue said her team is looking for high pressure all over the field and to get opponents in situations that they’re not comfortable with and dictate their tempo.

Senior Stephanie Campo will be a key on offense, as she controls things from the central midfield. Elise Romano, who didn’t play last season, returns for her senior year and will serve as the center-forward, giving the Red Devils their best weapon up top. Donahue said her team still doesn’t have a pure forward, so the production will be a built up from the midfield or gained in transition, and she expects Campo, Romano and freshman Jenny Haskel to be key in the middle.

Set pieces are another area Ridge where will look to produce, with Romano, sophomore Gigi Cifelli and, perhaps, senior Caroline Keller counted on to convert.

Junior keeper Rachel Axt, who backed up Emily Wheatley most of last season, gets the starting nod in net to start the new campaign.

With the new alignment leaving the Red Devils somewhat vulnerable on defense, Donahue also knows her team is going to have to pick things up offensively. Donahue said she thinks the Red Devils are going to be a team that can accomplish that goal once it finds its rhythm and understands how it’s going to operate.

LAST SEASON'S RESULTS
Ridge finished 8-9-3 last season – its first sub-.500 season in, at least, 15 years. The Red Devils were shocked by upstart Franklin in double overtime in the second round of the Somerset County Tournament, and fell to Bridgewater-Raritan on penalty kicks in the quarterfinals of the state North 2 Group IV Tournament.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON
Stephanie Campo – The University of Notre Dame-bound senior is a workhorse who will be playing the key center-mid role for the Red Devils, where her touches will increase dramatically.

Elise Romano –The senior, who will play for the University of Colorado next fall, sat out last season and returns to assume the center-forward position in the Red Devils’ 3-4-3 alignment. Romano notched six goals and four assists in 2009.

Nicole Bates – The junior is expected to play a critical role on the Red Devils’ backline, as Ridge looks to improve on the 1.4 goals per game it allowed last season.

THEY'LL MISS
Kelly Scott – The outside defender has left some huge shoes to fill on a backline that allowed one goal or less 15 times last season 

Katie Varrone – Varrone was a mainstay in the Red Devils midfield, scoring six of Ridge’s 24 goals last season.

Emily Wheatley – The Red Devils’ keeper posted six shutouts and gave Ridge stability and leadership in net.

COACH'S TAKE
“It’s going to be interesting to see how things shape up and if the players we think are going to step up big are going to be able to do what we know they’re capable of doing.” – Ridge coach Katie Donahue, who counts winning the Skyland Conference Delaware Division as a legitimate goal for the Red Devils in 2011.

THEY SAID IT
“We’re all getting along really well and working together as a team, so I’m really excited about this season.” – Senior co-captain Emily Wolk, who missed last season with an ACL injury and suffered another this past offseason, which could cause her to miss her entire senior year.

"I’m hoping we’ll fit in at the top, but we’re going to have to keep possession, because a lot of these teams we play they really look to possess, so we’re going to have to counter them the same way.” – Senior co-captain Stephanie Campo on how Ridge needs to approach the gauntlet that is its Skyland Conference Delaware Division and Somerset County schedule.

“We don’t really think about it that much; we just let what happens happen. We let the game take its pace.” – Senior co-captain Jackie Tobia on the pressure of trying to live up to the fine tradition that is Ridge girls soccer.

2011 RIDGE GIRLS SOCCER TEAM ROSTER

1

Lucy Aaron

sophomore 

midfield

2

Paige Anderson

sophomore

midfield

3

Elena Alves

senior

midfield

4 

Rachel Axt

junior

defense

5

Nicole Bates

junior

defense

6

Stephanie Campo

senior

midfield

7

Gigi Cifelli

sophomore

midfield

8

Emily Cutler

senior

forward

9

Megan Gross

senior

defense

10

Jenny Haskel

freshman

midfield

11

Caroline Keller

senior

forward

12

Kelly McWhorter

sophomore

forward

13

Shaye McCoy

sophomore

defense

14

Maggie Peterpaul

senior

forward

15

Alison Pine

junior

forward

16

Andrea Rijo

junior

midfield

17

Elise Romano

senior

midfield

18

Brittany Sheehan

sophomore

forward

19

Emily Sisto

senior

forward

20

Jackie Tobia

senior

midfield

21

Alex Weyrauch

sophomore

midfield

22

Emily Wolk

senior

forward