(Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption: DRIVING FORCE: Hun School star midfielder Melissa Marino rushes up the field in action last fall. Senior co-captain Marino will be counted on to drive the team's engine in the middle of the field. Hun, which went 8-5-3 last fall and advanced to the state Prep A semifinals, gets its 2007 season underway by playing at Madison High on September 15 and then hosting Princeton Day School in September 18.

Buoyed by Depth, Resilient Attitude, Hun Girls' Soccer Feeling Optimistic

Bill Alden

Ken Stevenson thought he knew pretty much what he had talent-wise as the Hun School girls' soccer team opened their preseason camp.

But the second-year head coach has adjusted his thinking after getting a chance to see some of his newcomers in action.

"I could've given you a line-up before preseason," said Stevenson, who guided the Raiders to an 8-5-3 mark and the state Prep A semifinals last fall in his debut season at the helm. "We have more girls in the program and some have really been a surprise."

At forward, Stevenson will need sophomore Blake Stockton to be a pleasant surprise as she follows in the footsteps of graduated stars Val Patriarca and Lindsey Scott.

"They had such tremendous leadership on our attack," said Stevenson referring to Patriarca and Scott. "They were four-year starters and they provided great leadership on and off the field. Blake is looking very strong so far. She played all summer with a women's team in Atlantic City and we are expecting big things from her."

Stevenson is going to tinker with his team's formation in order to take advantage of Stockton's skills. "We're going to play three up front with Blake off a little alone," explained Stevenson, who will be employing sophomores Julia Anthony and Katie Coyle at forward.

"Blake is so strong on the ball that people will double team her and she will distribute. I think that will create opportunities."

One Hun player who knows how to take advantage of opportunities is high-energy senior midfielder Melissa Marino. "Melissa is one of our senior co-captains and she organized a bunch of the girls to go to camp at the University of Pennsylvania," said Stevenson. "One reason we will move Blake up the field further is to give Melissa more room to operate in the midfield."

Two of Hun's pleasant surprises will join Marino in the midfield. "Bridget Stinson is new to the program and she won our fitness test," said Stevenson of the senior who also stars for the Hun lacrosse and basketball programs. "She will be a factor. Kim Campbell is back as a junior. She was at Hun as a freshman and then went to another school last year."

The Hun defense should be spearheaded by junior Alex Their and sophomores Gina Fiori and Lauren Shockley. "Alex will be in the middle with Lauren and Gina on the outside," said Stevenson, who will also be using Laura Coyle and Catherine Weidel on his back line.

Stevenson said that a quartet of freshmen, Candice Whiteside, Monica King, Brooke Bevans, and Brittany Holbrook, has caught his eye and they are also battling for time on the Hun defense.

Hun has plenty of experience in its last line of defense in battle-hardened senior co-captain goalie Mary DiPastina. "She is just ferocious; she has no regard for her personal well-being," said Stevenson in an admiring tone.

"She is so tough mentally and physically. She is not the tallest of goalies but she gets up and makes big saves for us that really get us going. She is really tough on corner kicks. Between her and Alex, there is a lot of talking and good communication on the defense."

Stevenson believes his squad has a chance to do some good things this fall. "I have a sense of guarded optimism," asserted Stevenson, whose team opens the season by playing at Madison High on September 15 and then hosting Princeton Day School in September 18.

"I'd really like to see us get to the state Prep A finals; that would be a big step. We made the schedule tough, we're playing Montgomery, Little Flower (Pa.), and we have Pennington in addition to our Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) games."

The team has been displaying a toughness that it will need to survive in that kind of competition. "We have been talking about how we play," added Stevenson.

"Last year we had some adversity in the middle of the season. We have been talking about how we are going to react when we get adversity this year. They have shown resilience so far; they've responded to the challenges with an attitude of 'let's go get 'em.'"

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