Women's Soccer: CCBC Essex Hopes to Join Elite Teams

Geoffrey Holland is confident CCBC Essex has the talent to be one of the best teams in the Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference this season.

But to do that, Holland also knows the Knights will have to play better against the top teams in the conference. Last season, CCBC Essex put together a solid 8-6-1 record and finished in fourth place in MD JUCO.

However, the Knights also went 0-4 against the three teams ahead of them: Anne Arundel Community College, Harford Community College and Montgomery-Rockville. In those games, CCBC Essex was outscored 16-2.

“We have a strong team, but we’re also in a strong division,” said Holland, in his fourth season at the helm. “It’s a shame we’re all in the same conference because each of these schools has some great talent.”

CCBC Essex, which began its season Thursday with an 8-0 win at Salem Community College (NJ), has six returning players and 11 newcomers on its roster. Among the top returning players are forward Megan Cudneck (Catholic) and midfielder Jessica Novotney (Parkville). 

Newcomers on the Knights include midfielders Nikki Fries (Patapsco) and Lara Meyers (Fallston). Also new to the team is freshman goalie Rebecca Plantholt (Baltimore Lutheran), who earned her first collegiate shutout in the win at Salem Community College.

Holland, a social studies teacher, said while junior college programs are constantly reloading, be believes he has a great talent pool to draw from, as he has players from Baltimore County, Harford County and area private schools on his roster.

“We’ve got a reputation for being competitive, and we plan on continuing that tradition this season and hopefully compete for a region title,” Holland said.

Cudneck, who is from Dundalk, said she gained valuable experience as a freshman and has worked hard to help the first-year players this year adjust to the college game.

“We have a lot of personalities on this team, but we’ve gotten used to each other really fast,” Cudneck said.

Novotney said she has felt a “positive vibe” throughout the preseason, even as the Knights missed several practices following Hurricane Irene.

“This group really appears to have a drive of making a run at nationals this season,” she said.