It’s make or break time for Allentown girls
BY GEORGE ALBANO
Staff Writer

MIGUEL JUAREZ staff Chelsey Quaglietta (l) is back and leading the Allentown girls soccer team this fall as they look to make a return trip to the state playoffs.

Six games does not a season make, but it can certainly go a long way in determining a team’s fortunes.

Just ask the Allentown High School girls soccer team. The Lady Redbirds have struggled coming out of the gate this season, losing four of its first six games against some pretty good competition.

That’s the bad news. The good news, however, is the next six games Allentown plays are all “winnable,” according to head coach Mike Bianchini, and could be just the springboard the Redbirds need to get back to the state tournament.

Allentown qualified for the state tourney in 2003, Bianchini’s third season as head coach following two rebuilding years. But the Redbirds slipped to 7-13 last year, making them all the more determined to get back to the postseason in 2005.

“We’re not really rebuilding, but at the same time this year’s goal is to try to make the state tournament,” Bianchini, now in his fifth season, pointed out. “We only lost four starters from last year and we have a good mix of veteran and young players this season. One of the things we try to do is move younger players in every year so we don’t have eight, nine or 10 players graduating all at once.

“Instead we have a good mix at Allentown of young talent mixing in with the veteran players we have.”

And on paper it appeared to be a solid team, too, but the schedule maker wasn’t very kind to the Redbirds. They had to open the season with Colonial Valley Conference power Steinert and lost 7-0.

“They’re the best team in our league and we just had to open against them,” Bianchini said.

In fact, Bianchini even scheduled a nonconference match against Florence for his second game of the season, anticipating a rough opener.

“That was supposed to be our bounce-back game. That’s why it was put there,” the coach explained. “But there was a scheduling conflict with Florence and they had to cancel the game.”

Instead, the Redbirds played Princeton, another top CVC team, a couple of days later and lost 2-0. They did, however, bounce back to beat Point Pleasant Beach, 3-0, and Westampton Tech, 4-0, in back-to-back nonconference games to even their record.

But that was followed by consecutive 2-0 league losses to West Windsor-Plainsboro South last Tuesday and Notre Dame on Thursday.

“All four losses were conference games and those four teams are all in the top half of our league,” Bianchini noted. “I don’t want to say we’ve had a rough start because we haven’t been playing bad. It’s just that there are 13 teams in our league and we played four of the top teams. None of them have more than one loss. So it’s not like we’re playing slouches and losing.

“But over the next two weeks, we have six games against teams that are traditionally not in the top half of the league. Some of them are playing well, but we definitely have the opportunity to bounce back and get the ship righted.”

The Redbirds were scheduled to play North Burlington in another nonconference game Monday at home, and then travel to Ewing for a league contest Tuesday night. Then on Thursday, they play CVC foe Hamilton under the lights at home.

“The girls are really excited about that and about having two night games this week,” Bianchini said. “These three games and the three next week are all games we need to win. The cutoff to make the states is Oct. 21 [teams .500 or better on that date make it] and the final two weeks before the cutoff date we play some more tough teams on our schedule.

“So this is the make or break part of our schedule. How we do these next two weeks will decide where our team ends up. Our next six games are all winnable games for us. We just have to play up to our capabilities. We have to step up and take advantage and execute.”

The Redbirds haven’t been able to execute much so far this season, at least not on offense where goals have been hard to come by.

“We’ve had problems putting the ball in the net and we’ve had problems generating offense,” Bianchini admitted. “We’re just not finishing opportunities. We’re getting opportunities, but we’re not finishing. We’re trying to work some things out. It could be just the teams we’re playing are strong defensively.

“I know it’s not from a lack of effort. The girls are working tremendously hard. So the work ethic, the effort, and the desire is there.”

Defensively, however, has been another story.

“We’ve been solid defensively. We’ve been in every game except the first game,” Bianchini said. “We just have to do a better job of creating some offense and finishing goals or else we’ll continue to struggle.”

The Redbirds do have senior Chelsey Quaglietta, a four-year varsity player and three-year starter, up front and she already has two goals.

“She’s our go-to scorer,” Bianchini said. “She has the ability to score, but she hasn’t been able to get too many opportunities. If we get her opportunities, she’ll finish. We look for big things from her.

“But we’re still looking for the right combination of players up front to go with her so we get the opportunities and get the ball in the net.”

The defense, as Bianchini noted, is very solid. Senior Kristy Catelli, a four-year starter, is back in goal for the second year in a row after starting at sweeper back her first two seasons.

“She has several colleges interested in her,” Bianchini said.

Two more four-year starters, Dominique Cerulo and Dimitria Papageorge return at stopper back and marking back, respectively. They’re both tricaptains, too, along with Catelli.

“They’re our three captains and our three leaders,” Bianchini said.

The midfield is also strong with juniors Deniela Nini and Colleen Giglia, both two-year starters, back at center halfback and left halfback, respectively. Senior Jen Taylor, who missed last season with a knee injury, starts at right halfback.

Bianchini is also counting on junior defender Natalie Howell, who came off the bench as a freshman and sophomore, and is now starting at outside marking back.

Meanwhile, freshman sweeper Haley Wilhelm “has been one of the pleasant surprises” so far this season, according to Bianchini. “She has been doing an outstanding job for us.”

The Allentown coach says he is also looking at a pair of sophomores and a junior to complement Quaglietta on the forward line.

“They’re all new and we’re looking for the right combination to step up,” Bianchini said. “One of the things that’s frustrating is we won all three of our scrimmages before we got into our season. So we know we have the ability to beat teams.

“But the goal remains the same and the next two weeks we will know what we’re capable of achieving. I have every reason to feel our team will rise to the challenge the next two weeks and give ourselves a chance.”