An inspiring speech and the presentation of a spirited award by a former standout player highlighted the evening when the Bridgewater-Raritan High School girls’ soccer team held its annual season-ending banquet.
On Wednesday, December 4, the players and their families gathered at the Bridgewater Manor to celebrate a memorable season with their guest speaker, Allison Lynch, a high school All-American player at Bridgewater-Raritan.
Ms Lynch, a Class of 2019 graduate at Bridgewater-Raritan, the girls’ soccer program celebrated their 2024 season with their end-of-year banquet held at the Bridgewater Manor. One of the highlights of the evening was the return of one of the program's greatest players, Allison Lynch, Class of 2019, who was the guest speaker for the evening.
Ms. Lynch, who sparked Bridgewater-Raritan to the Group 4 state championship game in 2018 during her senior year, delivered a passionate and inspirational speech, according to Sean Casey, the head coach of Bridgewater-Raritan.
Coach Casey reported that Ms. Lynch told of her soccer journey that took her from Bridgeater-Raritan High School to Rutgers University where she became a two-year captain and the program's all-time leader in minutes played.
“She gave the current players advice on how to work towards their dreams to make them a reality,” Coach Casey said.
After her speech, Ms. Lynch, who is now an assistant coach with the Rutgers University women’s soccer team, presented a newly created award, "We Play For Those Who Came Before Us" to sophomore Stella Grant.
According to Coach Casey, the award was created to recognize the many talented players who have worn the uniform over the years and is awarded to the player the coaches feel embodies everything that a Bridgewater Raritan High School girls' soccer player should be. Stella, who completed her second year with the varsity team, became a full-time starter on this year's team that went 16-5-1 and were Skyland Conference Raritan Division champion..
This season also featured a berth in the North Jersey Section 2, Group 4 state sectional tournament championship game where Bridgewater-Raritan fell to Westfield High School, 1-0, on November 14. Westfield would go on and win the Group 4 overall state championship.