KICKING IN: Hun School girls’ soccer player Hannah Cavanaugh, left, battles a foe for the ball in recent action. Hun, which moved to 2-3 with a 3-0 loss to Monroe last Saturday, hosts Friends Central (Pa.) on September 26. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Jenn Barrett didn’t have to wait long to earn the first win of her tenure as the head coach of the Hun School girls’ soccer teams.

Hun started the fall with a bang, defeating Ewing 6-1 in its season opener on September 7 and followed that up with a 2-1 win over the George School (Pa.) three days later.

“We played really well in our first game, we got the kinks out in the first half and in the second half we just opened up and exploded,” said Barrett.

“Against George we came out a little flat; they had really improved since last year. That was a little more of a challenge in that game but we came through and worked really hard and worked well together. It was a good game.”

The Raiders produced another good game in a losing cause as it fell 2-0 to Princeton Day School on September 12.

“We definitely played well, that is the biggest challenge that we have faced this year,” said Barrett. “They are big, they are aggressive. It was a good battle.”

Over the last week, Hun has been facing another challenge, getting hit with a rash of injures.

“We have 22 on our roster and we had 14 kids able to play,” said Barrett, referring to the team’s 3-0 loss to Monroe last Saturday.

“We are moving people in all different spots. With the heat on Saturday, it was tough when you only have a couple of subs.”

Senior co-captain and midfielder Nicole Angelini has shown toughness and skill this fall for the Raiders.

“Nicole has always been a 100 percent player, she has played almost every minute, every game since I have been at Hun,” said Barrett of Angelini, who tallied two goals and an assist in the win over George.

“She just always gives it 100 percent effort and is a very skillful player. She really works for the team, the goals she gets are just the outcome of how hard she has been working. She is a great kid.”

Angelini’s mind-set has influenced her teammates. “They have been working really hard and they have been getting better everyday,” said Barrett.

“I am proud of how they have been picking each other up and how people who haven’t had that much experience on the field have been stepping up in games in roles they haven’t had before. I am proud of the team spirit.”

Looking ahead, Barrett wants her players to keep showing that spirited approach.

“We are working on different formations and seeing what works for us; we have all of those good central players and it is figuring out how to use those people,” said Barrett, whose team, now 2-3, hosts Friends Central (Pa.) on September 26.

“Our main focus is to keep adjusting the culture of the program; having them know that once the game is over, that game is behind us. It is going onto the next challenge and thinking about what we can do about that. There are mistakes of commission; those mistakes that may come when you are really working hard and doing the best thing that you think. If you do it decisively, that is fine. We want to eliminate the mistakes of omission, where you don’t do your best. Working hard every game and doing everything you possibly can is what we want to make as our success, not necessarily the score.”