Gaby Egan already has taken care of one of the biggest stressors for high school seniors.
She knows where she is going after graduation and what she will be doing.
The Bordentown Regional High School senior will continue her soccer career at the University of Southern Maine. The Division III Huskies will be chasing a fifth straight Little East Conference championship this fall while Egan wraps up her high school career with the Scotties’ girls soccer team.
“I’m excited about the new environment and then just being in a more competitive environment as well,” Egan said. “The University of Southern Maine, they won their last four consecutive conference championships. So it’s definitely exciting. Obviously, I’m really nervous, but I’m excited for the new chapter and to be just on that competitive playing field.”
Egan also is looking forward to a final season with the Scotties. She comes into the year brimming with confidence. She will be a captain for the second season, and she sees a lot of potential for the Scotties, who more than doubled their 2004 win total with a 9-8-2 season a year ago.
“I feel really great about this season,” said Egan. “Last year we had a few good seniors. We had Alexis Theil in the back and we had Allie Glenn in the goal, so they’re kind of major losses, but definitely I think we’re gonna improve as a team. Everyone’s a year older and we’ve all improved. We’ve been working in the offseason. And then also the upcoming freshmen, there’s a few good girls.”
Egan again will be a main cog for the Scotties as one of their three leading returning scorers, along with junior co-captain Emily Nami and fellow senior Isabella Mitchell. Egan has been a mainstay in the midfield, where her attacking mindset has been a huge plus.
“I put her more or less to the center of the field because tactically, because of seeing the game so well, she makes some really good decisions,” said Bordentown coach Dom Castaldo. “And because of that, it actually helps her and Emily Nami and Ava Brennan. hey work very, very well together and they kind of shore up that middle. One of the good things about Gaby is Gaby can score and she can cause things in the flow of the game and the flow of the offense really well. So I’ve been really happy.”
Castaldo has seen Egan’s confidence and game grow through the years as she has put more time and effort into soccer. That helped her produce her most productive season yet, with five goals and four assists out of the midfield last fall. Egan also plays outside of school, moving this year to Players Development Academy South from Next Level Soccer Academy, and has worked with a private instructor. Combined with three years on the pitch for the Scotties, she is a more confident player.
“You can see it as far as her being a captain and how she goes about every day and leads the team,” Castaldo said. “Her confidence breeds more confidence in the people around her. The best thing about Gaby and a few other players is that she makes the players around her better. And a lot of that comes from the confidence and the ability that she has.”
Egan did not always feel as confident. It is tough to be a younger player for almost anyone, and she has grown more confident as the Scotties have given her more responsibility each year. They want the ball at her feet often, and she has many opportunities as a center midfielder to make plays.
“Being a part of Bordentown, it’s definitely helped me gain my confidence and be more of someone that carries the ball,” Egan said. “I feel like I was a little more selfless before I came to high school. And then it taught me to be selfish in a good way and also just carry the ball more. And keep my morale up when I’m playing and just to have a memory of a goldfish. Like if you have a bad play, it’s not a big deal. You just forget about it in five seconds and you just win the ball back and do something good with it next time.”
Egan will use that experience at the next level at Southern Maine. She hopes she can share her experience with her Bordentown teammates as she looks to make it a great final scholastic season for her and her fellow seniors. They will need the younger players to contribute in order to reach their loftiest goals.
“I definitely try and encourage them a lot because I know, especially as a freshman or an underclassman, it can get really nerve-wracking playing against these older girls and playing against varsity girls,” Egan said. “So definitely I’m one to pull them aside and give them advice and just make sure that their heads are being held high. I don’t want them to lose confidence in their playing.”
Egan is part of a small senior class. Ava Brennan, Riley Gens, Julianna Pado, Mitchell, Avery Taylor and Joelle Vescovi were all on the varsity roster last year as juniors and are expected to return this year. They are looking to set the tone when preseason practices begin Aug. 17, with some big goals in mind.
“Definitely keeping the team culture,” Egan said. “Last year, the team culture was really great. I feel like the chemistry as a team, we flowed really well together and I want to keep that going into my senior year, which I have no doubt we can. I think the girls are amazing and I think we work very well together already. But I also just think keeping the girls hyped up and excited about the season and just always wanting to win, wanting the ball and wanting to score, I think that’s what we need.”
The Scotties have spent the summer working together in a 7-on-7 league at The College of New Jersey and doing workouts together. It has given them a good starting point heading into official practices.
“We’ve been doing pretty good in those,” Egan said. “And it really showcases the girls’ talents and we get to see how good they are before we actually play in a real scrimmage and before preseason starts.”
She has been a key leader, taking on the responsibility of organizing some practices for the team, playing in the summer league and working out on her own, all while juggling two summer jobs. She has been working as a waitress at Palermo’s Tomato Pie and serving as a counselor for younger children at a summer camp.
“Sometimes it can get hard, but I try and prioritize my rest,” she said. “I love taking naps, so I try to take a nap after.”
Egan continues to work toward becoming a stronger player while leading the team. She is one of the players from whom Castaldo knows exactly what to expect. He will not know until the preseason begins exactly where everyone fits, but he is looking to maximize each player’s time by putting them where they can play the most, on varsity or junior varsity.
“We have a good freshman class, a large freshman class that’s coming in,” Castaldo said. “So that’s helping, and some of those girls are talented, but then the sophomores and juniors have really come a long way since they they’ve come in. I’ve been really, really pleased in a lot of their progress.”
If the Scotties can defend well and get some scoring from their returning players, they could be tough to beat. Last year, after a slow start, they went 7-3-2 down the stretch. They finished 7-2-1 in the Burlington County Scholastic League Patriot Division, which could undergo some realignment this year. Burlington Township, Palmyra and Maple Shade are all coming off strong seasons.
“How we go about the game, being able to adapt and adjust to our opponent is going to be important,” Castaldo said. “I mean, there’s going to be days where we’re going to want to control the ball, keep the ball and possess it, and yet get forward as quickly as possible. And then there’s days that we’re going to want to play very direct. So there are some of the things that we need to recognize and do well. And if we do that, I think you’re going to see a much more fluid and a much better team.”
