In his 20-plus years involved in coaching, Jeff Neumann has seen the scene plenty of times.
His 1-6 girls soccer team at South Hunterdon is trying to find its footing as well as its identity. Neumann, though, isn’t afraid to look at the stark reality.
“We’re struggling,” offered Neumann frankly. “We have a number of girls who haven’t played soccer before or really don’t have a lot of experience.
“We graduated three seniors who were in the middle of the field for us. This is a really nice group of girls to work with, and they are very coachable, but we also know that we are going to take our lumps.”
“We should have a lot of teachable moments from which we can move forward.”
Neumann is in his second year at the helm of the program after serving as an assistant at Hopewell Valley for 17 seasons. He began his coaching odyssey in 1999, and has had a few stops along the way. His club had a 5-13 mark last season.
One of the biggest selling points for him was his daughter, Eve Durkee-Neumann, who has been the team’s leading scorer the past few years.
Durkee-Neumann and fellow senior Kathleen Keyes are captains and have paced the team. Senior goalie Julia Voorhees is back in the net for the Eagles.
His daughter has six of the team’s eight goals through the first seven games, as South Hunterdon has been shut out four times. Voorhees has recorded 114 saves.
The Eagles recently battled in a hard-fought, 2-1 loss to Manville, but they then suffered a setback in a 8-2 loss to Delaware Valley.
“We have had trouble finding the net,” noted Neumann. “Our goalie has been taking about 20 shots a game, and she still has come up with a number of big saves.
“The Manville game was a tough one,” said Neumann. “We were down 2-0 at the end of the first half, and we were right there. Eve got a goal, but we couldn’t get the equalizer.
“But they always put up a good effort and fight until the end. If we can keep that going, the outcomes will be different.”
His daughter fully understands her team’s predicament. She noted a different feeling to the team with the loss of the senior class from last year.
“It does have a different feel,” Durkee-Neumann confirmed. “Anne Spreen took on a big leadership role last year, and she was a big presence on the field.
“I have taken on a new role as a leader, and also being able to teach the game to the younger girls. We have a number of girls who are learning the game. We struggle to score and to win games.”
As a senior, it is not the type of sendoff season she might have expected.
“It can be frustrating at times,” said Durkee-Neumann, who also is a basketball standout. “I know this is my last year, and I do want to succeed. We have nine or 10 sophomores and no juniors.
“But I have to look at the big picture and realize what kind of season this is.”
Durkee-Neumann has made a smooth transition with her father as the coach for the past two years.
“I really like him as a coach,” she stressed. “He is very calm and chill. He is very accepting and open with all of us. He has a very welcoming presence that makes everyone feel comfortable.
“When we’re at home, we rarely talk about soccer. It is a true player-coach relationship.”
Neumann knows it may be a tough hill to climb, but he believes his club will continue to battle and may find some solace as well as some victories in the final stretch.
“We have some tough games ahead like Belvidere, Bound Brook and Bernards, all three teams that likely have too much for us. But these girls have good chemistry and will do what is necessary to succeed.
“You can see progress, and it should produce some positive results.”
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