Girls Soccer Building Momentum Against Difficult Foes

The Wilmington girls soccer team made a statement on Tuesday. But the Lady Wildcats hope they have plenty more to say in the upcoming weeks.

Alex Bischoff notched a pair of goals and Holly Niemiec put home a tally of her own as Wilmington toppled Belmont 3-1, a team the locals had never previous beaten.

Upcoming games provide the Wildcats more chances to make further statements, playing against teams like Winchester and Arlington, the team that knocked Wilmington out of the postseason last year.

“We’ve had chats about how this is really our chance to prove that our record is not just a fluke,” said head coach Sue Hendee, whose team is 7-1-1 on the year. “We feel we are a team that should be looked at. We’re playing well and we look forward to the challenges of the next two weeks.”

Following Tuesday’s game, Bischoff now has eight goals and four assists on the season, one of the leading scorers in the Middlesex League.

Hendee said Niemiec’s skill set can get overlooked because so many of her contributions come from the plays she makes away from the ball. According to the Wilmington coach, Niemiec has a foot in on many of the team’s goals.

“Holly has been a strong player for four years, but she does so much off the ball that she’s the kind of player I think coaches really tend to appreciate,” said Hendee. “She is all over the field and does so much that a lot of people might not even notice.”

The Wilmington mentor said one of the team’s strengths is its depth. When the team has suffered minor injuries in the early goings, another player has promptly stepped into the lineup and performed as needed.

Coming into the season, Hendee said she had high expectations for her team, which returned 18 players from last year’s league championship winning team.

“I think what they do really well is they don’t get flustered,” said Hendee. “They’re playing well, playing with confidence, and I hope we can keep it up because I’d like to make a statement in these next few games.”