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Sports

Girls' Soccer Looks to Reclaim Liberty Division Crown

The Quakers are hoping the 2011 season brings a 13th league crown in 14 seasons.

The 2010 season was not looked upon fondly by girls' soccer head coach Bill Mulvihill, or any of his players.

The Quakers finished with a record of 5-8-1 overall and a division record of 5-4-1. The team lost seven 1-0 games in 2010, so scoring has been a major focus since camp opened in August.

Mulvihill enters his 15th season at the helm of the program, winning 12 consecutive league titles until Cinnaminson claimed the Liberty Division crown in 2010.

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“Last year we were really young up top and we have a lot of speed and a lot of nice players," Mulvihill said. "Last year was their first year for some freshmen and sophomores. This year I’m hoping with a year of experience under their belt the chances they get they will be able to finish a little bit more."

The other losses on the season for the Quakers were 3-2 and 2-1. The girls were in every single game, with one goal being the difference in their nine losses on the year.

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“We have nine seniors and all nine of them are going to see legitimate time this year. So I’m looking for this senior class to step up,” Mulvihill said.

The Liberty Division is one of the toughest divisions in all of South Jersey in soccer, with tough competition from Cinnaminson, Holy Cross, Rancocas Valley, Burlington Township and Northern Burlington.

“Definitely Cinnaminson when it comes to rivalries because they took the lead from us last year and they are right down the street. Every time we play them it’s a physical game and a fun game,” midfielder Steph Toy said.

Aside from scoring, the coaching staff has worked on fitness, teamwork, communication and working hard. The captains of the 2011 team feel this year’s team is much closer than last year’s, with players from all grade levels showing leadership at one point or another since camp began in August.

“We are taking it game by game, but obviously we want to have a winning season this year," back Hayleigh Dalmass said. "Last year was the first year we lost the league title in 11 or 12 years."

The Quakers lost only three starters from the 2010 team, meaning this year’s team has plenty of players who earned time at the varsity level, which hopefully will translate into success in 2011.

“We were 5-8 last year, but seven of those were 1-0 losses or overtime losses, so just scoring will help us out a lot this year,” back Allie Smith said.

The Quakers opened the season with a 2-0 win over Hunterdon Central, but fell to Pennington 3-1 on Tuesday. Moorestown begins division play on Thursday with a home game against Burlington Township.

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