RETURN ENGAGEMENT: Hun School girls’ soccer player Becky ­Barus goes after the ball in recent action. After taking last season off, senior Barus returned to the squad this fall and has become a key contributor. Last Saturday, Barus scored two goals to help Hun beat the Blair Academy 5-0 and improve to 6-2-1. The Raiders play at the Life Center on October 16. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

After being plagued by injury in the first two years of her career with the Hun School girls’ soccer team, Becky Barus decided to take a break from the game last fall.

While the respite gave her a chance to heal, Barus realized there was a void in her life.

“I just missed it so much so I said I want to be with my team and play and have fun,” said Barus. “It is my senior year and my last year.”

Barus has been having a lot of fun this fall, emerging as a key contributor for Hun, bringing energy and spirit to the squad.

Last Saturday, she brought some offensive punch as well, scoring two second half goals as the Raiders rolled to a 5-0 victory over visiting Blair on a waterlogged field.

“We practice slotting and finishing the ball,” said Barus. “It was so muddy over there and I saw the balls bouncing around and I decided to go for it.”

Coming into the game with Blair, Hun was primed to go for it collectively.

“We have a goal list and one of our goals was to win the Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) and it started here with our first MAPL game,” noted Barus. “We pumped ourselves up and did what we wanted to do.”

A 2-0 victory over perennial state Prep champion Pennington on September 30 pumped up the Raiders.

“That was another one of the goals on our goal list, to beat Pennington,” said Barus. “We hadn’t beaten them in so long and our mindset was that we thought we have a lot of potential this year and we came in focused. It was a huge win.”

In addition to their potential and skill on the field, the Raiders boast a special team unity.

“We have really good team chemistry,” said Barus. “It is important to us to be able to get along and play well together and we have fun doing it.”

Hun head coach Joanna Hallac had a lot of fun watching her team’s display against Blair.

“We just played some really beautiful soccer in the first half with the way we were knocking the ball around,” said Hallac.

“We were doing the same in the second half and finishing even better. That’s what really impressed me the most, the way we played despite the conditions and the circumstances. They really did take care of business. They were doing everything right on both sides on the ball. They were working hard but they were working smart.”

Hallac likes the hard work she has been getting from Barus upon her return to the squad.

“I talked to her in the spring and she decided to play and I am really glad that she did,” said Hallac.

“She’s been working her tail off. She takes advantage of the minutes that she gets. She just works like an animal out there for us. The girls love her and she loves them. She brings a lot of positive energy to the team.”

The pair of senior stars, defender Ashley Maziarz and midfielder Jess Sacco, is another big positive for Hun.

“Ashley and Jess are the tandem in the back there,” added Hallac. “It is hard to separate them, they are both so solid. I really never get too worried about our defense.”

Sophomore Abby Gray is emerging as another solid performer for the Raiders.

“Abby is very composed, she is maturing very nicely as a player,” said Hallac. “She is really starting to take off.”

In Hallac’s view, the win over Pennington has helped her team take off in recent weeks.

“They went out there and played their hearts out,” said Hallac. “I was really proud of the way they performed. It finally convinced them of what they could do. I think they were starting to believe it last year but they walked into that game believing that they could truly play with anyone and they proved it.”

With the county and state Prep A tournaments around the corner, Hallac believes her squad can be a title contender.

“I think with the group we have got and the way we are playing, the sky is the limit,” asserted Hallac, who guided the Raiders to the state Prep A title game last fall.

“I think we have seen a recommitment to the goals we set and to each other, knowing that you are going to make mistakes on the field but we have got to be  able to settle down and overcome those challenges. You don’t try to do everything yourself, you play within yourself, trust your teammates, and work together.”

Barus, for her part, is confident that things will come together for Hun in postseason play.

“We just have to stay focused and play every game like it’s a game against a big team,” said Barus.

“We have the potential to win every game; we are a solid team. I think the win against Pennington gave us a lot of confidence. Our practices have been really focused. We like to have fun. We play best when we are having fun together and enjoying the game that we love to play. Every practice I think we are all getting better, individually and as a team.”