Addison Halpern: Girls Soccer Player of the Year

From NJ.com:

As the ball knuckled through the rain and the wind at Iron Peak Sports Center in Hillsborough, everyone watched in awe. Junior Addison Halpern has 136 career scores, but this was the moment back in September where she sent home one of the biggest goals of the year.

That shot against Freehold Township gave Rutgers Prep the juice to upset the No. 3 team in the country. It was the difference-maker in a battle between two of New Jersey’s elite teams.

It sealed a massive win that catapulted the Somerset County squad into the No. 1 spot for the first time in program history. Rutgers Prep never let go of that ranking and Halpern made sure of it, coming up clutch in the biggest moments and proving that she was the state’s best player.

The Argonauts finished 19-1-1 in 2023 and repeated as Non-Public B champions.

Along the way, Rutgers Prep made history and won the program’s first-ever Somerset County title. Halpern also had a great year individually and committed to the University of Virginia on the way home from that win over two-time defending Group 4 champion Freehold Township.

Halpern never let up after that, finishing the year as the 2023 NJ.com Player of the Year.

“A difference-maker like Addy can step up in big games and make those plays that elevate a good team to a great team,” Rutgers Prep coach Jim Buchanan said of Halpern, who has now scored at least 40 goals three years in a row. “Great teams aren’t all about one player, and we gave credit to all our girls all season for their achievements, but if we could choose one player to get a chance with the score level, we all would choose the same player.”

Halpern was a star in her first two seasons at Rutgers Prep, but she played next to one of the best players in state history and that somewhat shadowed her accomplishments. This was her year to fully step into the spotlight and that opportunity came with a few extra challenges.

Rutgers Prep was moved into a tougher league as it joined the Delaware Division in the Skyland Conference. That meant the schedule would feature two games apiece against Hunterdon Central, Watchung Hills, Pingry and Bridgewater-Raritan. A tough road to navigate.

Halpern was also going to see more attention now that she was the sole go-to scorer.

It did not matter.

In a season-opening win over Pingry, Halpern scored four times, clinching 100 career goals - and she got there just one game into her junior year. Only two seniors in the state finished their careers with triple-digit scores at the end of this season.

Rutgers Prep followed that game up with a 4-0 win over Watchung Hills and Halpern scored twice. She picked up an assist a few days later in a 2-0 win over Hunterdon Central. That was one of the rare games this season where she did not score a goal. In a rematch a few weeks later, Halpern got on the board and led her team to another 2-0 victory.

Only two teams this season figured out a way to limit what Halpern could do.

In between those two Hunterdon Central wins, Halpern scored two of her biggest goals of the season. It started with that momentum-changing win over Freehold Township.

That Freehold Township squad came to Hillsborough for the Mountains vs. Seas showcase as the top team in the state. The Patriots featured three All-America candidates who were all committed to D1 schools. Halpern made them invisible as she took over that game.

The junior drew in the defense and slid a pass over to an open Nyla Lopez for the first goal. Then, a few minutes later, she hit that knuckler and dropped jaws in the Top 10 matchup.

It was shocking to see and it was the first in-state loss for Freehold Township since 2021.

The next weekend, Rutgers Prep had the No. 1 ranking in the state, but it was on the ropes when it fell behind in a rematch with Pingry. The Argonauts found a way to tie things up in the second half and then in overtime, Halpern came through with the game-winning strike.

“I don’t think anyone that has seen her train and play over the last two years since she came to Rutgers Prep ever had any doubts that she would step up with the competition,” said Buchanan. “She is a class act and it doesn’t matter if we are playing the No. 1 team in the state or someone else. If she gets a chance, then we back her to score.”

Addison Halpern (8) of Rutgers Prep is fired up after scoring from distance against Freehold Township during the girls soccer game at Iron Peak Sports & Events in Hillsborough, NJ on Saturday, September 23, 2023.Tom Horak | For NJ Advance Media

At that point, it was starting to become clear that Halpern was the best player in New Jersey.

Rutgers Prep never slowed down and the junior led the way as the Argonauts made it to the Somerset County final for the second year in a row and just the second time in program history. A year ago, Rutgers Prep lost to Watchung Hills in the county championship game.

This season, the Argonauts finished the job, beating Hillsborough, 2-0, to make history.

Halpern went down early in that game and limped off the field as a Hillsborough heckler questioned the authenticity of the injury. The junior stood on the sidelines for a few minutes as her ankle was tended to. After getting checked out, she got the green light to go back in.

In the second half, Halpern scored a goal on a picture-perfect play.

After the strike, she turned to the Hillsborough crowd, raised her finger to her lips and gave the Raiders the sign to quiet down. It was another moment this fall where she silenced the doubters.

“It’s always good to prove yourself and quiet people down,” Halpern said after her team won the Somerset County title for the first time. “It’s all about being in the moment and no disrespect to them; it’s all just part of the game. It’s incredible to make history. This is another win in our kind of Cinderella season that we’re hoping to take all the way. This is an amazing feeling and it’s great to share this with each other, our families and everyone at Rutgers Prep.”

Rutgers Prep won 16 games in a row before losing its first, and only, game 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 with perfect records. Those tournaments elected to combine in 2023 though.

Pennington isn’t a NJSIAA member and is not eligible for NJ.com’s postseason awards. But everyone who knows high school soccer knows that Pennington is a powerhouse.

Rutgers Prep embraced the challenge and came to Pennington in October ready to go toe to toe with one of the best teams in the country. It also gave Halpern a chance to share the field with Villanova commit Morgan Kotch, who finished with a goal and an assist in the final.

Pennington went ahead 2-0 in that game and Rutgers Prep was looking for answers at the half.

Halpern rallied her team though and when Rutgers Prep was given a free kick just outside the box, the junior made a smart move and quick-hit the ball as the defense was retreating. Her shot kissed off the inside of the post and ended up in the back of the net. Rutgers Prep fell short in the end, but that goal gave the Argonauts life and a chance until the final seconds.

Rutgers Prep rebounded in the NJSIAA state playoffs.

Halpern scored 11 goals in the South, Non-Public B playoffs and scored both goals in the sectional final against Bishop Eustace. It was the third straight sectional title for the Argonauts. Halpern had a combined six goals and four assists in those three championship wins.

Later that week, Rutgers Prep and DePaul matched up for the third year in a row.

Those two teams split the last two Non-Public B titles and then played to a scoreless draw in this season’s state final. Halpern nearly won that game in regulation, but her rocket of a shot was turned away when DePaul’s keeper fully extended and got her fingertips on the ball.

This rubber match went to penalty kicks.

Halpern was the first kicker in Rutgers Prep’s set of five and in a shocking turn of events, her attempt was blocked. It was a gut punch for the junior, who had played so well all year. Five rounds of PKs was not enough though and Halpern was able to get a second chance.

She shook off that first miss, stood calmly behind the ball and then nailed her second shot.

Two kicks later, Virginia Tech commit Ellie Robertson hit the deciding shot and Rutgers Prep capped off an unbelievable season and repeated as Non-Public B champion.

It was the perfect ending to a historic season.

Rutgers Prep was a team loaded with talent this season and the Argonauts also counted on Lopez and rookie Blair Vera at forward. Robertson, Alexa Lee and Arianna Peart controlled the midfield all year and Louisville commit Brielle Baker, along with Sandra O’Neill, Olivia Robinson and Ava Mason played well on the back line. UConn commit Syrai Parker was influential in net and anchored a defensive group that had 15 shutouts and only let in nine goals.

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

Halpern was the headliner though and for the second year in a row, Rutgers Prep was led by the best player in New Jersey. The junior finished the season with 40 goals and seven assists, and she will be back next fall with the chance to break the state’s all-time scoring record.

“Addy has responded so well,” Buchanan said. “Perhaps somewhat unfairly, in her first two years here, Melina (Rebimbas) got the majority of the attention, but we all knew what a focal player Addy was for our offense, and how strong of a leader she could become when asked to. This season has definitely been her year and she has taken the team to the highest levels.”

Read the full story here: https://www.nj.com/highschoolsports/2023/12/rutgers-preps-addison-halpern-is-the-girls-soccer-player-of-the-year-2023.html