The Union Farmers Girls Soccer team has silently moved into our radar. Union plays in the top-heavy Union County, where it competes with teams such as Westfield, Scotch Plains and Cranford. The Farmers have started the season with a 6-1 record, primary lead by a midfield of seniors Andrea Santiago, Nicole Pereira, juniors Karen Vera, Kayla Lima and sophomore Kelly Severini. This midfield team has contributed to a total of 12 goals and 8 assists this season and they are looking forward to making additional contributions the rest of the season.
Second-year Coach Cassiano Dos Santos said, “last year we identified we had a good young talented team, this year we made some adjustments and the dividends are starting to pay off. This team has a lot of heart and welcomes the challenge of playing in a tough Conference. The midfielders play smart, communicate and have good vision allowing them to connect with our forwards.”
The Farmers are proving to be well balanced all around as they have received scoring and assist contributions from 8 different players. Among those are juniors Kayla Miller-People and Nicole Alfano.
As the county tournament approaches the Union Farmers will need to maintain their consistency and have contributions from everyone if they intend to go deep in tournament play. Union could enter the bracket with a strong record, but they would like to make the headlines as a top contender at the county and state level.
“If we want to be a top contender, we need to stay healthy and minimize mistakes,” said Coach Cassiano.