Aidan Sheehan Receives her Fish4Scores.com T-Shirt and Gift Card From Rossi’s Bar and Grill Co-Owner Alan Meinster
By Rich Fisher
Fish4scores.com
Aidan Sheehan feels it’s now or never.
Aidan Sheehan cuts through traffic against Hopewell Valley. Photo by Michael A. Sabo
Playing her fourth varsity season with the Steinert girls’ soccer team, Sheehan has come into her own as a goal scorer. She entered the season with six career goals and has already surpassed that with seven in a 7-0 start this season.
Aidan added to her haul with three goals and an assist in victories over Nottingham and Pemberton last week.
For her efforts, Aidan Sheehan is the season’s first Fish4scores/Rossi’s Athlete of the Week for the week running from Sep. 25 to Oct. 1st .
Aidan Sheehan connects with a headball. Photo by Michael A. Sabo
“She’s been killing it,” coach Mike Hastings said. “She’s finishing. That’s the big thing. All the work she’s put into the game, she’s finally reaping benefits of it.”
Hard work, and a matter of urgency.
“I guess maybe the mentality is making a difference,” Sheehan said. “It’s my last year, I have to leave it all on the field.”
Aidan Sheehan hustles down field. Photo by Michael A. Sabo
Hastings agrees some of it could be a better mindset.
“Maybe it’s a mental thing,” he said. “As she’s gotten a little more older, more experience is coming with that as well and she’s learning what to do.”
Sheehan lit the fuse for Steinert’s explosive 4-1 win over Nottingham. After a scoreless first half in which the Spartans dominated possession but could not finish, she converted in the second minute of the second half to touch off a barrage of four goals in less than nine minutes. She also picked up an assist later in the game.
Against Pemberton, Sheehan tallied to make it 2-0 and then scored a crusher goal with 30 seconds left in the half to put the Spartans up 3-0 in what would be a 6-0 win.
Both coach and player feel that the Spartans experience has helped out Sheehan, who started to emerge last season with four goals and six assists.
“For the most part, all of us have been together the past few years so that’s been good,” she said. “We’ve been able to bond together.”
“I think our nucleus of players have been together two or three years now and they’re starting to gel,” Hastings said. “That’s a big reason why we’re doing so well.”
It has definitely been a group effort, but Sheehan’s abilities have definitely been a big part of things.
Aidan Sheehan looks for a pass against Hopewell Valley. Photo by Michael A. Sabo
As a club player, she is in her second season with the Princeton Soccer Association after playing for the New Jersey Rush. A midfielder by trade, Aidan played center-mid most of her first three years with Steinert but began last year up top. This year she and Giana Pittaro have been the most dangerous forward tandem in the Colonial Valley Conference.
“She’s quick, she’s great on the ball, she’s unselfish,” Hastings said. “She also gets others involved with her passing. We moved her up just because of her idea of the game, her ability to get in behind, make great diagonal runs, stuff like that.”
“It doesn’t matter to me where I play,” Sheehan said. “Whatever works.”
