Sophomore midfielder Ashley Koester pushes past her William Paterson opponent on Oct. 12.
Photo Credit: Daniel Falkenheim
The Montclair State women’s soccer team entered the 2016 season with a .781 winning percentage, seven years under the guidance of Head Coach Patrick Naughter. Naughter has the program’s top three finishes since 1990, and this year he and his group are determined to achieve their dreams as a team.
This season, the Red Hawks have achieved many milestones. In a 5-1 win against Stockton University on Oct. 1, Naughter picked up his 100th game as head coach. Naughter applauded several members of his team who have led the way this season.
“It’s just really fun to go to work every day,” the head coach said. “This team had its injuries and responded by putting up eight goals against two very good conference teams.”
Senior forward Jennie Hornstra scored her fifth goal of the year against Stockton University, gaining herself the title of Montclair State’s Athlete of the Week for the week of Oct. 3. Hornstra has 28 goals, placing her 9th in Montclair State history.
Naughter discussed the effect that the seniors have on his Red Hawk team. “[Senior Captain] Kimmy Mignone really has a great read on the kids. It’s like having another assistant coach out there,” Naughter said. He also spoke about sophomore Sophie Calverly, who has played almost every position this year, saying, “That was like my playing
career, so I know how challenging that is. {Calverly has] handled every challenge really well.”
This women’s soccer team has shown their ability to win consecutive matches. They held a six-game winning streak from the middle of September to October, before losing at Rowan University last Saturday, Oct. 9.
Coach Naughter had much to say about the efforts his assistant coaches have made to help this team perform so well throughout this season. “[Assistant Coaches] Chris Owen, Mike Gagliano and Pam Kopfensteiner have done a great
job this year overcoming everything we’ve had to,” Naughter said. “They’ve been unbelievable. Our kids always say, ‘We’d be lost without them.’”
Naughter highlighted the impact his father has had on his coaching career, saying his father always taught him “to be humble, and that there is never any excuse to get outworked.”
He said that he now sees those same qualities in his team, always working hard to be the best.
Montclair State’s women’s soccer team has won two New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) titles since 2010, losing last year in the opening round to Rutgers-Newark in the NJAC Playoff Tournament. Putting this behind them, the team is focused on the task at hand—winning.
