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Freshman Ella O'Donnell (8), who helps solidify a young defensive unit, heads one for strong Mount St. Dominic which has strength in midfield with veterans such as senior Mary Hladik (5) and explostiveness up top with key scorers such as junior Gianna Camporeale (7). The talented Lions received No. 1 seed in the 41st annual Essex County Girls Soccer Tournament. (Photos by Jeff Stiefbold)
CALDWELL- Last year’s Essex County Tournament included what has been a rare semifinal appearance in a definite impact season for Mount St. Dominic as a sixth seed. It remains to be seen what might be in the works in this fall’s 41st ECT, but one definite entity in the proceedings is that the Lions are considered ‘The team to beat!’ The undefeated Mount (10-0) continues to impress in 2024 as the powers-that-be among the Super Essex Conference girls soccer coaches on the 2024 ECT committee selected the Lions as the No. 1 seed in the 21-team field. “We’re honored to be selected as the top seed, and the girls are very excited about looking to compete for our program’s first ECT championship,” said Mount eighth-year head coach Angelo Del Vecchio. “But, we also know how strong our county is, and we realize that it’s going to be a big challenge ahead in what is a tough field with very good teams.” In what potentially could be a dynamic ECT Final 4 the No. 2 seed is defending champion Livingston followed by 3-Montclair and 4-West Orange. The ECT first round (Oct. 17) and quarterfinals (Oct. 19) are both at the higher-seeded team’s home field, while the Tuesday, Oct. 22 semifinals (5 and 7 p.m.) are at Bellleville’s Municipal Stadium, and the championship game (2 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 26) will be at Livingston’s Allen ‘Jake’ Jacobson Field. Livingston edged West Orange, 3-2, in a double-overtime thriller, in the 2023 ECT final played at Millburn as Dina Bojkovic scored the tying goal with just 12.3 seconds left in regulation and Izzy Kildee served up the game-winner with 9:24 left in the second OT period. The Mount, which won its first-ever Non-Public, North A state sectional title last fall, defeating 17-time champion Immaculate Heart, 2-1, is not accustomed to reaching the latter stages of the ECT, having made just three semifinal appearances in the first 40 years of the countywide girls soccer extravaganza. The Lions are still a young soccer side with three freshmen in the starting lineup along with just one senior in Mary Hladik, a valuable center midfielder and co-captain. The team’s firepower is frequently generated by junior forward Gianna Camporeale, who leads the team in scoring with 17 goals and 11 assists. The other top scorer is junior center midfielder Lena Tusche, a multi-talented player who is currently away from the Lions as a member of the U-17 Colombian National Team which is competing in the World Cup in the Dominican Republic. Depending on how far Colombia can advance in the World Cup will determine when Tusche will return to the Mount, which could mean she will not be around at all for the ECT, but hopefully be back in time for the NJSIAA state tournament. “We look at as ‘Next Girl Up,’” said Del Vecchio. “We’re happy for Lena and very proud of her, but for us the mentality is that we treat it like an injury and we simply look to other girls to step up and fill a role for us. “Our girls have responded well to all the challenges and we feel that we have a strong lineup and some nice depth. “We expect to continue to compete at a high level the rest of the way regardless of whose out there on the field for us.” The Lions already had a couple of actual injuries to deal with even before the season began as senior defender Maddie Natale and junior back Valentina Somoza were lost for the 2024 fall campaign due to each absorbing torn ACL’s. A strong area for the Mount is its young defense with backs such as sophomores Aanya Davitt and Emma Labrunda and freshmen Ella O’Donnell and Alexa Cunha, who form a solid group in front of freshman goalkeeper Isabella Raju. The team’s ‘glue’ is Hladik as a holding or defensive center midfielder, as someone who can control the middle of the field. Junior Jacqueline Karcic and sophomore Reina Casas are among the midfielders to watch. “We were young last year and we are even younger this season,” said Del Vecchio. “There are a number of very talented players on our team and with the youth factor plus terrific talent we feel our best days are still ahead of us.” Follow Sideline Chatter on 'X' @Chattermeister Essex County Girls Soccer Tournament Finals: Most Titles Won: Most Consecutive Titles: Most Appearances In Final: Most Consecutive Finals:
Sophomore midfielders Sophia Giordano (11) and Reina Casas (21) along with freshman goalkeeper Isabella Raju (1) are among the young players to watch for a talented Mount St. Dominic soccer side in the 2024 ECT. copyright 2005 Sideline Chatter - to comment contact the webmaster
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