Hopatcong Ladyhawks Women's Soccer Team: We're Here, and We're Not Going Anywhere

Joanne Browne tried joining the Hopatcong Ladyhawks women's soccer team a decade ago. But players had to be at least 30 years old to play, so Browne watched from the sidelines for a year before getting her own jersey.

Nowadays, the team accepts women age 28 and older. But that hasn't helped much. "We are having a little trouble keeping our numbers up," Ladyhawks player Carolyn Macaluso said in an e-mail message.

Hopatcong has started its fall season—it also plays a spring schedule—with two losses. Sunday's 3-0 defeat came at the hands of a more seasoned Mountain Lakes squad. The week before, the Ladyhawks had just nine players in a loss to Denville.

Hopatcong's players aren't upset with losing. They just want the borough to know that they exist. Oh, and that they're looking for players.

"We're at a rebuilding stage," Browne said. "There are some different skill levels on the team. We're looking to stay competitive with the rest of the league.

"We're not ready to roll over and die yet."

Team manager Donna Balarezo has been with the team since its inception almost 30 years ago. She remembers winning. She remembers fielding teams consisting mostly of Hopatcong residents.

But now the Ladyhawks have just seven borough players—Colleen McGill, Trina Moroni, Jazmin Moynihan, Stacy Siegel, Melissa Smitreski, Margaret Zvalaren and Macaluso. Balarezo said the team wants more.

"You know, not all the other women's leagues that they have actually start and finish," she said. "We've been [around] for a long time. The whole league has been [around] for a long time. And it's competitive. …We play in any kind of weather. We've played in snow and we've done well."

The team, which plays each Sunday at 9 a.m. at Veterans Field, is more than just a collection of women who enjoy soccer. Carolanne Cairns said the Ladyhawks aren't just a team, "it's a social life."

"We've got a great crowd of people," goalie Michelle DelRio said. "All good people. We spend a lot of time together after the games."

Lately, a lot of the post-game bonding sessions have focused on how Hopatcong can improve. Cairns said the team just needs more time to gel.

"This season is going to be a learning curve," she said. "We're going to learn this season and hopefully we'll take it forward and improve."

Added Browne, "We just played two games. We lot both games. They've been good games, and we don't mind losing."

But Hopatcong does mind its town residents not knowing it exists.

"Originally it was just local people who started the team," Browne said. "But we've attractive players from all over."