By Jose Negron
Given the program’s success in past years as well as the talent on his roster, new Thomas Jefferson girls soccer coach Sean Richter believes his team can once again be a playoff contender this fall.
Richter, who served as an assistant coach under Jason Vozar last season, has inherited a program with a history of playing late into the month of October. The Jaguars have advanced to the WPIAL playoffs in each of the last six seasons.
“There are big shoes to fill,” Richter said. “The program has gone uphill and set new standards and a new bar for the players.”
While he’s optimistic in his group’s chances to compete, Richter knows his first season guiding the Jaguars will be a process considering the amount of youth he has to work with.
A year after the team went 12-7-1 overall and 8-4 in section play en route to a WPIAL quarterfinal appearance, TJ has just three seniors to rely on. Of the 31 players on the team’s roster, seven are juniors, seven are sophomores and a whopping 14 are freshmen.
“We only have three seniors and there is a lot of young talent, but it’s high school soccer; it’s different with the physical part and the size,” Richter said. “In part, there is an expectation where I think we can step in and compete right away, but with that being said, it is a process feeling out the personnel and seeing where everyone fits.”
Richter was hired to take over the girls program in late January and said the girls have bought in to his coaching style thus far.
“I definitely have my style and my way of play, and we have been incorporating that since day one,” Richter said. “I think they see a clear difference in play as well as how we want to move the ball and how we want to build up.”
This season, three of TJ’s sophomores will start as forwards and look to replace the production of Dalaney Ranallo, a 2020 graduate who led the team with 21 goals last season.
Emma Martinis, Olivia Supp and Abby Attkinson will help lead the way offensively for TJ.
“All three are very solid and smart players,” Richter said. “We don’t have that presence of a 6-1 senior in Dalaney Ranallo, so we have to change our style of play. We have to adapt and move the ball faster. The goal for us is to just get more players to impact the game.”
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