“If they can beat us in a game,” Coach Brady says, “it makes a team’s whole season.” In this case, “they” are Old Bridge, Edison, and a slew of other Middlesex teams. Spoiler alert: “they” couldn’t beat the Lady Bears. The East Brunswick Girls’ Soccer team was a force to be reckoned with during the 2023 season. With a remarkable record of 16-3-1, the team dominated on the field and upheld their reputation as a threatening competitor.
Despite their successes, the season wasn’t all fun and games. Brady notes that “recently, Monroe rose up to challenge us as our rivals.” The season started off with back to back wins all across Middlesex County, but according to Coach Brady, their “success early in the season” was met with “challenges later in the season.”
The team went into and through GMCs with a strong determination. Their assertive nature and teamwork along with their sacred EB traditions boosted them to the tournament finals, facing their rivals of Monroe once again.
For this team, the final scores meant more than just individual gratification. Goalie, Claudia Volino, notes that “throughout the whole season we constantly were playing for each other rather than ourselves.” Even when the going got tough, the players focused on advancing the team in any way they could in hopes of securing the GMC win.
“We wanted to be a team on and off the field and I think we proved that by making it to the GMC finals. Even though we lost,” reflects Claudia, “we learned how to deal with that loss as a team.” The collective sense of partnership and support between the players on this team allowed for their successes to define their standing as a feared competitor for the coming year.
