Wollerman, Mullins Lead All-Metro Teams
Newman senior, Jesuit sophomore shined as playmakers
Saturday, March 22, 2008
By Pierce W. Huff
Though the conclusion of the season wasn't what she wanted, Newman senior Rhegan Wollerman said the year was a joy because of her teammates.
The Newman girls soccer team lost to eventual state champion St. Louis 1-0 in overtime in the Division III semifinals.
"Every year we've had a great group, but this year the chemistry from freshmen to seniors was great, because everyone got along so close," Wollerman said.
Wollerman, a center midfielder, headlines The Times-Picayune's All-Metro girls soccer team as the Player of the Year. St. Scholastica sweeper Sally St. Germain is the squad's defensive specialist. Sacred Heart's Tooraj Badie, who guided his team to the Division III state championship game, is the Coach of the Year.
Jesuit sophomore Patrick Mullins is the boys Player of the Year. He's joined by Rummel's Tarek Balamane, selected as the Defensive Specialist, and Coach of the Year Matt Jacques of Newman.
The Greenies girls soccer team (17-3-2) put together another strong playoff run behind Wollerman's leadership, although their streak of four consecutive state championships ended.
Wollerman made her mark as one of the best playmakers from the middle of the field. She had five goals and 25 assists.
"I pushed forward and scored sometimes, but it was much more of my nature to assist on our goals than score," she said.
Badie led Sacred Heart (16-5-3) to the state finals for the fourth consecutive year. The Cardinals lost to St. Louis 2-1 in overtime in the title match.
Sacred Heart entered the state championship match having defeated its opponents by a margin of 22-2.
Badie replaced longtime Sacred Heart Coach Sean Moser, who resigned after the 2006-07 season.
St. Germain was the stalwart of the Doves' defense. The Doves advanced to the Division I semifinals.
Jesuit Coach Hubie Collins considers Mullins to be one of the soccer phenoms in New Orleans.
Mullins was one of the top substitutes last year when Jesuit won its second Division I state title in three years. Mullins dominated the midfield this season leading Jesuit (22-3-4) to the Division I semifinals. He scored 15 goals and Collins estimates set up just as many for teammates. "His ability to play wide, beat a player, score or cross the ball to the middle, there was no one better," Collins said.
"The fact he is technically gifted, with great ball control, makes him different than most, and then he can score goals from almost impossible positions and beat two or three players. His biggest threat was he was unpredictable, defenders didn't know if he was going wide and shooting or going to pass."
Said Mullins: "It's an honor when a coach says that about a player. A lot of my good chances came from our all-around team play, and I just happened to be the last guy in the sequence."
The Newman's boys soccer team lost to St. Thomas Aquinas 1-0 in the Division III championship match.
Jacques returned to coaching last year after sitting out the previous season. He wanted to concentrate on his day job as an operations manager at a local business and his club soccer coaching at Lakeview.
With Newman players eager to buy into his new system, Jacques, who coached four years as an assistant at Brother Martin, was able to guide the Greenies to the state championship match.
Newman (16-7-2) defeated its opponents by a margin of 17-1 before losing in the state championship match.
Balamane, a senior defender, started for three years at Rummel, which compiled a cumulative 49-28-6 record during those seasons, including a 20-6-1 mark in 2008. Balamane was a part of 14 shutouts as a defender. A two-time All-District selection, he scored one goal and had three assists as a senior.
