Mendham’s Varsity Girls soccer team finished their 2025 season strong, pushing their way through the Morris County Tournament and making an appearance at the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2 tournament. The team ended their season with a 9-11-1 record after a devastating loss to Johnson High School, ending in a penalty shootout.
Varsity Girls Soccer maintained a well-trained team with key players like Sydney Kukan and Zoe Valianatos leading the team with scoring and providing Mendham with a strong offensive game. The defensive side of the ball was maintained by Maeve Robbins and Julia Mauriello in goal, with a strong and supportive defensive lineup. The girls maintained a strong connection with each other and built up good relationships throughout the season. Varsity Captain Mariella Canino stated, “The team has greatly improved throughout the season. Each player has stepped up greatly, showing up to training each day and giving their greatest effort. We worked early on in the season on building team chemistry and instilling confidence in one another on and off the field.” Mariella’s description of the growth through the season from a captain’s perspective does the team justice. Mendham’s pride for success wasn’t only seen through the eyes of the players, though; coaches also saw improvement. Coach Goldsworthy said, “This year’s team showed a tremendous amount of improvement throughout the season. They were very adaptable and proved that they can play with some of the best teams in the county and state.” Coach’s assuring statement on team improvement lines up perfectly with what Mariella Canino had to say about the team’s expectations throughout the year.
For next season, the girls plan to build on what they have experienced and learned this year and put it into next year’s success. The Girls will not be gifted success next year, however. Captains Curran Capuzzi, Lila Schoenfeld, and Mariella Canino will all be graduating in 2026, as well as many other seniors. The graduating class of 2026 will leave the younger classes with a good foundation to work off of and to thrive off of in future years. When asked what is expected out of next year’s season, Coach Goldsworthy said, “I expect this team to build on this year’s success, much like we did the previous year. We have been building a great foundation the last two years, and our experience in big situations will be tested in the 2026 season.” Coach’s expectations are simple and supported, claiming that the team will learn from this year’s lessons and apply them to the next. For the underclassmen looking forward to next year’s team, Captain Mariella Canino answered the question on what talent people can expect out of the team next year, stating, “I see an incredibly bright future for Mendham Girls Soccer, and I believe that the program will continue to be successful. We have an extremely talented group of underclassmen, and they are the foundation of this program. I have witnessed the passion of the underclassman and their willingness to listen and improve, which will set them up for great success moving forward. This season, they learned the expectations of the program and upheld a high competitive standard and work ethic through the season. They have absorbed the expectations set by the seniors and captains this season. They are completely bought into the team and program values. With this, I believe they will continue to carry the values of Mendham Girls Soccer into their next season.” Mariella’s vision and assuredness of success next year can and will help push Mendham Girls Soccer to the successful places that they are striving to be.
With this, Mendham Varsity Girls Soccer will continue to thrive throughout the coming years. With the experiences learned this season and the relationships built over the first school quarter, the girls will continue to get better and will be looking forward to the success to come in the 2026 season.
