Rutgers Prep is the Girls Soccer Team of the Year

From NJ.com

Rutgers Prep took over the No. 1 spot in the state back in September and never let go.

This program broke through four years ago and won its first-ever Non-Public B title. Rutgers Prep has become a soccer school ever since and now the Somerset County school is a powerhouse. Rutgers Prep finished the 2023 season as the NJ.com Team of the Year.

The Argonauts upset Freehold Township early in the year to earn the top spot in the NJ.com Top 20 for the first time in program history. Virginia commit Addison Halpern led the way with a goal and an assist. It was a win that set the tone for a historic year that included four championships.

“We came in and knew we could do this,” Halpern said after beating a team that was ranked No. 3 in the nation at the time. “We have a target on our back now, but we have to remember that this is just one game. We don’t deserve anything after this and we haven’t won anything yet, so we need to keep working like this and play hard to keep getting the results we want.”

Rutgers Prep played hard the rest of the way and added four titles in the process.

It started with a league championship in the Delaware Division of the Skyland Conference. Rutgers Prep was moved into that division this fall and joined the likes of Hunterdon Central, Watchung Hills, Pingry and Bridgewater-Raritan. That meant a tougher schedule.

Rutgers Prep stepped up and was perfect against those teams.

Then, the Argonauts made a run to the Somerset County final, making it to the county championship game for the second year in a row and only second time in program history. Rutgers Prep lost to Watchung Hills in the final a year ago, but came back and beat Hillsborough, 2-0, this time to secure the school’s first county title.

“It was a focus of all of ours at the start of the season,” said Rutgers Prep coach Jim Buchanan. “Coming close last year and the memory of that was a good motivator for everyone when we talked about team goals during preseason. For a tournament that has been historically dominated by the big public schools, it was great to have another shot to win as one of the small private schools. Last year was Rutgers Prep’s first-ever county final. I think we all felt confident and focused to go one better this year, and the girls delivered.”

The Argonauts won 16 in a row before suffering their only loss of the year.

Last season, Rutgers Prep won the Prep B title and nationally-ranked Pennington won the Prep A championship. If that format stayed intact for this fall, both teams would have repeated and finished the year unbeaten. Those tournaments were combined in 2023 though.

Pennington isn’t a NJSIAA member and is not eligible for NJ.com’s postseason awards. If you know the soccer landscape in New Jersey though, you know what kind of powerhouse Pennington is and the type of player Villanova commit Morgan Kotch is.

Rutgers Prep came to Pennington in October ready to win the overall Prep title, but fell short in a 2-1 game between the two best clubs in the state this fall. The Argonauts did not let that one game sink the season though and rebounded strongly in the NJSIAA playoffs.

This team cruised in the South, Non-Public B bracket and won its third straight sectional title.

Then, Rutgers Prep battled in an instant classic with DePaul in the Non-Public B title game. Those two teams played 100 minutes of scoreless soccer before going to penalty kicks.

In the end, it was Rutgers Prep who left with the title after a 5-4 edge in PKs.

Halpern and sophomore Alexa Lee hit make-or-lose kicks to keep that game going into the eighth round of the shootout. Then, Virginia Tech commit Ellie Robertson converted on the game-winning kick to give Rutgers Prep back-to-back state championships.

Rutgers Prep was stacked with talent this season.

Halpern led a set for starting forwards that also included sophomore Nyla Lopez and rookie Blair Vera. Robertson and Lee were key in the midfield along with junior Arianna Peart. Louisville commit Brielle Baker, Sandra O’Neill, Olivia Robinson and Ava Mason played well all year on the back line. UConn commit Syrai Parker had the best season of her career. The senior anchored a defense that had 15 shutouts and only allowed nine goals this fall.

Alyssa Manasse, Savannah De Barros, Lily Siegel and Eva Castro stepped up in the final.

This team was great all year and ended the season with a divisional title, a county championship, a sectional crown and an epic state championship win.

“I went in with the mentality that we were going to win,” said Parker, who was the only senior in either starting lineup in that Non-Public B classic. “I had to give it my all out there today. I wanted to end on a bang and that was a banger. That’s all I have to say.”

Read the full story here: https://www.nj.com/highschoolsports/2023/12/rutgers-prep-is-the-girls-soccer-team-of-the-year-2023.html