The high school soccer season was beginning to wind down and things weren’t exactly looking too good for the Patriots of Secaucus High School.
Three losses in four games dropped the Patriots’ record to 6-6.
But there was no sense of panic in the voice of head coach Kaefer Garcia.
“We were right where we expected to be,” Garcia said. “We expected to be here. I think it was more a matter of the schedule. We had some games where we made some silly errors in the midfield that cost us. But we were getting better. We learned from the mistakes.”
Sensing that the season was coming to a close, the Patriots rallied around each other and began to play better.
“I think the girls wanted to prove a point,” said Garcia, whose team lost to Glen Ridge in the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group I semifinals last year. “They wanted to prove that they were better than their record said.”
Garcia added some key freshmen to the lineup.
“I wanted to see how they fit in,” Garcia said. “We started clicking again.”
As they entered the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference tournament two weeks ago, the Patriots looked at the postseason as a chance to make a statement.
“I think it speaks volumes toward the direction of where the program was four years ago,” Garcia said. “It’s a testament to the girls.”
Sure enough, the Patriots reeled off three straight victories at the proper time.
They defeated Hasbrouck Heights, a perennially tough program, 4-2, in the quarterfinals of the NJIC Tourney, then knocked off Becton Regional, 4-3, in the semifinals to advance to the school’s first-ever appearance in the NJIC Tournament championship game.
The Patriots were scheduled to face Midland Park on Saturday, Oct. 27 for the championship of the tourney.
“We’re very excited,” Garcia said. “We have a mixture of nerves and excitement. We’re in the middle of playing five games in seven days. It’s just how the schedule ended up.”
Since earning the spot in the NJIC title game, the Patriots rolled past Ridgefield, 7-1, before losing a heartbreaking 1-0 contest to Pompton Lakes to drop to 10-7 overall on the season.
But somehow, someway, the Patriots picked themselves up by the bootstraps and became a 10-win team.
“We went into the tournament not knowing where we stood,” Garcia said. “We were trying to outlive the fatigue and find the right rotation.”
Garcia said that he has been helped by the addition of his brother Chris to his coaching staff. Chris Garcia was the boys’ coach at Secaucus, but left to become the head men’s soccer coach at the College of St. Elizabeth, which just started accepting men into the once-all women’s institution.
“He’s been able to help us out and he’s been a big help,” Kaefer Garcia said of brother Chris, who led the Patriots to the school’s only soccer championship, the NJIC boys’ title, in 2017.
“This is everything we wanted,” Kaefer Garcia said. “We’re hoping to take that momentum into the state tournament.”
The Patriots were set to face Roselle Park in the opening round of the North 2, Group I state tourney on Monday.
The Patriots have been blessed by the play of senior forward Damaris Rodriguez, who is better known for her prowess as a basketball player, having earned Hudson Reporter Girls’ Basketball All-Area in some capacity in each of her three previous seasons on the hardwood.
Believe it or not, Rodriguez is just as talented on the pitch as she is on the court.
“It’s hard to think where this program would be without Damaris Rodriguez,” Garcia said of Rodriguez, who recently became the school’s all-time leading goal scorer, surpassing Julia Peschetti, who is currently playing at NCAA Division I Iona College. “Secaucus girls’ soccer is thankful to have had Damaris for the last four years. If you speak her name around the NJIC, everyone pays attention. The girls feed off her and want her to have the ball. She leads the team’s attack. She is definitely going to be missed. It’s hard to sum up what I have to say about her. Secaucus soccer owes a lot to Damaris Rodriguez.”
Rodriguez has scored 18 goals this season.
The team’s goalkeeper is also a standout in senior Mackenzie Szabo, who is another four-year starter.
“She’s been amazing,” Garcia said of Szabo, who has collected five shutouts in the team’s 10 wins this season. “I think the team feels fine when she’s back there. She has made some amazing saves against the top teams.”
The center back is senior Joan Banks, another four-year varsity player.
“She’s the most underrated player in the league,” Garcia said of Banks. “She’s like a wall back there.”
The other center back is shared between Sydney Fournier and freshman Gianna Marin.
The outside backs are sophomore Nicole Paige and senior Caroline Andriani.
The center midfielders are senior Kayla Ducusin and junior Kaitlyn Kelly.
“Katie is more the defensive midfielder,” Garcia said. “She puts her body on the line for us. Kayla is more the player who creates. The plays on offense start from her.”
The other midfielders are sophomore Paige Quinones and senior Jazmin Bujari, the younger sister of former Secaucus and Rutgers University standout offensive lineman Betim Bujari.
“Paige has scored some good goals as being our girl on the flank,” Garcia said. “Jazmin has been clicking with some good assists.”
The forwards are Rodriguez, whose goal total is a little down this season, and freshman Daniela Peschetti, the younger sister of Julia, who has been nothing short of brilliant, scoring three goals in the win over Becton Regional in the first half, helping the Pats gain the lead, then moved to defender in the second half to secure the win.
“She’s been an amazing addition,” Garcia said of Beschetti, who has scored 25 goals this season. “She has a lot of potential. Damaris is passing on the torch to Daniela, who will carry the team from then on. We’ve been able to save Damaris for the bigger games down the stretch.”
When the Patriots need bench relief, Garcia calls upon sophomore midfielder Brianna Hauxhurst or freshman midfielder Audrey Youn.
“They are both good players as well with a lot of potential,” Garcia said.
Hauxhurst is the granddaughter of legendary Secaucus cross country coach and former athletic director Stan Fryczynski, who serves currently as the executive director of the NJIC.
Needless to say, this has been a rewarding soccer season for the girls of Secaucus High School.
“I think the excitement is two-fold,” Garcia said. “One, because I once played for the boys’ program and two, because the girls have never won a soccer championship. I think this is a testament to the talent we have and how far we’ve come. If we win, it will be an amazing prize for our season.”
And the Patriots are poised to be heard from again next year, with approximately nine girls doing well on the middle school team.
“They’ll be ready to play for us next year,” Garcia said.
It might be the first title game appearance, but it might not be the last.
“It’s where we’re at,” Garcia said. “And where we want to be.”
Jim Hague can be reached via e-mail at OGSMAR@aol.com. You can also read Jim’s blog at www.jimhaguesports.blogspot.com and follow Jim on Twitter @ogsmar.
