Coming off their 2009 Union County Tournament championships at both the varsity and junior varsity levels, the Cranford High School girl's varsity soccer team continue to gear up for pre-season with summer training sessions.
"We did lose 13 seniors last year," head coach Jen Michewicz said. "We are starting over this summer and it's been really exciting. The girls have been out two times a week and we've had at least 30-40 each session -- which is pretty impressive for summer training, and the girls are also involved in a 7-on-7 league."
Senior Julianne Salerno has been named team captain for the 2010 season.
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"When she got in the game, she had some crucial goals -- she had two goals in overtime games to help us," added Michewicz. "She's a center midfielder that we'll be relying heavily upon. Emily Lupin is going to be a junior for us and I'm looking for her to step up into a starting role as well."
With the turnover of so many players, Michewicz knows the key is to find the right pieces of the puzzle as early as possible.
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"I think that's a challenge that any coach finds. I am excited because a lot of the girls know each other well and they have been playing together on teams for quite a few years, so I think that helps on the team chemistry part," she said.
Tryouts begin Aug. 24 and will last for three days. Varsity, JV and freshmen teams will then be selected, and Michewicz said there will be another week of training before getting into the three-game scrimmage schedule.
The Lady Cougars will open the regular season on Sept. 10.
