Small school athletic success many times depends on a select few talented individuals and when those individuals graduate the process of building another champion begins. The process in most cases takes years, but for this year’s varsity girls soccer team it took a few short months. Sabrina Solorzano graduated in May 2014 as the girls soccer leading goal scorer, two-time team most outstanding player, and a three-time GMC all-division performer. Sabrina took her talents to play on the college level at Rutgers University – Newark and left a large hole to be filled in the girls soccer program. Further adding to the expected rebuilding project was the departure of head coach, Esteban Cevallos.
Lady Tigers’ Soccer refused to let the rebuilding process take any longer than a few months. Coach Tim Nussbaumer (pronounced Noose-bomber) was hired just prior to the start of pre-season, and despite a very short amount of prep time was able to rely on previous college playing experience and Christian high school coaching experience while he and his family live in the state of Tennessee. Coach ‘Noose’ quickly assessed the situation, made a connection with the female athletes on his new team, re-positioned a couple players and the ground work for a successful season was laid almost instantaneously. Senior, Jenna Collier, was case in point of Coach Nussbaumer’s re-positioning. Jenna was re-positioned to play forward (a primarily offensive position) despite only having 4 career goals prior to this season. Jenna responded magnificently being named the NJ.com’s player of the week in mid-September , and pumping in 33 goals this season to lead the entire Greater Middlesex Conference. On the field, a host of previously unheralded seniors, much like Jenna, embraced each other and their new coach to create chemistry that led to a much larger sum than the parts-type result. Karen Barretto, Jenna Collier, Michaela Csorny, Elizabeth Babij, and Hannah Russo were a senior core that led Timothy Christian School’s varsity girls soccer team to it’s highest ever GMC ranking by the Home News Tribune (#5). Even more incredible were the 16 wins in 21 games and the school’s third GMC Gold Division Championship.
The 2014 Timothy Christian School Varsity Girls’ Soccer team showed great CHARACTER in their unity and great CLASS in their performance!