MTHS Girls Soccer Looks to Mix Talent With Faith

This fall, the name of the game for Montville Township High School's varsity and junior varsity girls soccer teams is belief. According to varsity coach Danielle Vytell, it can make all the difference.

"It's been a challenge," she said." We've have the skill but not the belief. I think that, if you have the belief that you can win, even without the skill, you can end up winning games that you shouldn't. We need to get this team to start believing and shooting."

Vytell, now in her seventh year coaching, says that getting her team to have faith in their abilities would be a big step in what already looks to be a promising season.

 "We're starting at a much better place than we have in the past, skill wise," she said.  "We had really good numbers this year, so we've got some skill. I think we are more competitive this year than last, more talented from last year."

Vytell's 2010 team has 10 returning players from last year's varsity squad, adding eight new members, including three freshmen. While she is excited by her team's skill level, she understands that the experience will have to come.

"We are inexperienced," she said. "Our returning players are not all starters. We've got three freshmen on the team, and two of them are starting but it's a testament to how strong our players are, the skill that we have."

Vytell says that she is looking to her two center midfielders, senior Mariella Trogani and senior Samantha Iellimo to secure the team, especially in light of the loss of some key players in the offseason.

"We lost our goalie and sweeper from last year, so our system is different, but our style of play is always the same," she said. "People that come to watch us will see a pretty, well-played game."

The girls varsity team finished the regular season 2-17 last year.

Vytell's optimism extends to the JV squad, which she says is "starting in a much better place" this year than in season's prior.

JV coach Dana Bertoli agrees with Vytell, despite sharing similar issues of inexperience.

"We're a very young team," Bertoli said. "We've got 16 freshmen and four sophomores. Still, we're starting at a much higher level than last year. We're coming from my first year of coaching, winning one game, to hopefully winning many more this year."

Bertoli, who says that there is no one thing the team improve on, hopes that her squad can find a unity within their youth and talent.

"We're trying to make to make this team into a family, a unit," she said. "Coming together and playing as a team is going to be important."

For two squads trying to balance youth and talent into winning seasons, it all comes back to believing.

"At the end of the season when I look back, I want my kids to believe they can win," Vytell said. "I want to look back and know that these kids learned how to believe they can win."

The varsity and JV teams kick off its seaons this Saturday, September 11 against Hanover Park.