Lenny Washington, who dropped out while attending La Salle University, and Colleen Williams, who dropped out while attending the University of Dayton, were teammates and rivals on the soccer field in high school and college. The two will be inducted into the Mercer County Soccer Hall of Fame as part of the Hall's 31st class on April 13 at the Hibernian Club in Hamilton.
The 31st Mercer County Soccer Hall of Fame class is heavy on the flavors of Hopewell Valley and Hamilton, with Ewing/Pennington, Hightstown/Peddie and Lawrence flavors all sprinkled in.
This year's induction dinner will be held at the Hibernian Club in Hamilton on April 13th from 5pm. A limited number of tickets are available for purchase by calling Bruce Angebrandt at 609-731-5906 or emailing bruce@mercercountysoccerhof.com.
Four teams will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, two from Hopewell Valley and two from Steinert, with HVCHS graduate Colleen Williams and Notre Dame and Hamilton resident Jimmy King receiving invocations. The teams are the Bulldogs' 1982-1983 girls team, which won back-to-back state championships, and the 1988 Spartan boys and girls state championship team.
Also being recognized is Pennington School's Renee Washington, an Ewing product. Peddie's Jim Tharp is from Hightstown. and Dave Pasquito of Lawrence High School.
Just three years after posting a 2-10 record in 1979 (girls soccer's first season), Hopewell won its first state title and its second title the following fall.
The 1982 Bulldogs, known for their Hokey Pokey wedding dance during pregame ceremonies, went 15-5-1 and were undefeated against NJSIAA Division B opponents. Coached by “Gentleman” Jim Roper and his assistant Tom Ponting, Hoval won the South Jersey Division B title and then defeated Mahwah 2-0 in the state final. With the same core group, the 1983 team went 12-4-2 before playing a scoreless tie in the state final against a 17-1 Chathamboro team to earn the co-championship.
In addition to co-captains Bonnie Suydam and Debbie Smith, members of the 1982 team included Kari Spaes, Birdie Culkin, Gwen Flanders, Cherry Waters, Katie Gleason, Chris Messier, Patty Rovniak, Colleen McCotter, Tina Gallagher, Chris Turner, Kristin Carlson, Stacey Noonan, Karen Wines, Jessica Schiesel, Becca Grossman, Chris Turner, Joan Astarosh, Sharon Lewis, Joan Ziegler, and Season Kim Roche was added in the middle.
The '83 team included Speth, Suydam, Seesel, Gallagher, Culkin, Messier, McCotter, Roche, Rovnyak, Lewis, Ziegler, Gleason, Debbie Murray, Kelly Gallagher, Colleen Lagola, Nancy Spanza, Mara Golden. , Liz Weil, and Betsy Curtin. Terry Tomarchio and Stacey Paragano.
A headline in the weekly “Hamilton Observer” accurately summed up the 1988 Steinert men's team: “Steinert's defense is worthless.” The team posted 16 shutouts and gave up almost nothing as they went 23-1-1 en route to winning Group III. The Spartans defeated Mendham 3-0 in the Group III final at the College of New Jersey, ending their 19-game winning streak. This was the fourth and final title for coach Paul Thessein, who was supported by Rich Giarella, Tom Budzinski and Jim Giglio.
All-American sweeper Sean Gardiner (now a respected CVC official) was a tri-captain along with Eric Hastings and Anthony Vigorito. Goaltenders Mike Rentner and Stu Miller were held to just 10 goals by defenders Gardiner, Vigorito, Shawn Zauner, Matt Crivelli and Paul Meyer. Randy Jacobs led the county with 26 goals, and his younger brother Todd, the future Spartan head coach, joined him up front. Also: Marcello Pisapia, Tony Sharko, Mike Mix, Jeff Riefler, Mike McGrath, Mark Kavlak, Dave Newsham, Chris Shipske, Stu Whitman, Bill Adams, Eric Bree Fernich, Carvin Miller and Dominic Pisapia also contributed in various ways.
After Steinert's boys team won Friday night, they returned to TCNJ the next morning to cheer on the Spartans girls team to victory over Indian Hills in the Group III final. Steinert became the first school in New Jersey history to win boys and girls state soccer titles in the same year. Led by head coach Bob “Pivo” Pivovarnik and assistants Elise Eichmann (now on the Diamonds) and Joe Moffo, the Spartans went 23-1-3 and outscored opponents 80-13.
Stopper Valliere Franzescos and midfielder Laura Cesaro led the team as co-captains, while striker Sue Scheer teamed up front with Terry Hart to score 31 goals. Goalies Tracy Houlihan, Janice Reeves and Maria Vasta were led by Nancy Dacco, Lisa Griffs, Brenna Jobs, Jessica Fort, Gretchen Hartigan and Kim D'Errico. Amy Nemeth, Amy McGrath, Kristen Bigolito, Michelle Ackerman, Dawn Garton, Lisa Cesaro and Alicia Nemeth round out the team, with postseason additions including Tricia Cole, Caroline Dilts, Tina Zauner and Carrie Zauner. Lynch added depth. Steinert was avenging losses to Indian Hills in the 1980 and 1981 finals.
Lenny Washington enters a hall decorated like a Rockefeller Christmas tree. At the club, the U16 US Club He was a New Jersey State He Cup champion, Club Region A Champion, and a National He Cup finalist. The daughter of former Trenton State University (now TCNJ) standout Mark Washington, Washington was a three-year starter for the Pennington team while playing travel for the Ewing Express, Hibernian FC Express and New Jersey ODP teams. Won four Mercer County titles and four NJISAA Prep A crowns. She earned numerous All-Area and All-State honors at Washington, and she was named the 2009 Athlete of the Year by both Trenton newspapers. The 2008 Red Raider team was ranked No. 1 in the nation.
At La Salle University, Washington started every game and finished third on the Explorers' all-time scoring list with 40 goals and 21 assists. She earned All-Rookie, All-Conference, All-Region and All-American honors, as well as All-Academic honors for the fourth straight year. She played professionally for Sky Blues FC and Bucks Vipers FC before making her meteoric rise in broadcasting, working in markets such as New York and Philadelphia.
Washington spent one season as teammates with Colleen Williams and played two years at Pennington before transferring to Hopewell Valley. Williams won two Prep A titles at Pennington, was named Mercer County Player of the Year as a senior in 2008, and was named first-team All-CVC and All-State with the Bulldogs. Williams combined for 51 goals and 46 assists for both schools. She also won six championships with the FC Bucks Vipers and Pennsylvania Cubs, including the 2008 national title and the 2006 ODP national championship with the New Jersey Under-18 team.
Williams further blossomed at the University of Dayton, where he was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, two-time A-10 Offensive Player of the Year, and three-time All-American First Team selection. She became the 20th woman to join the NCAA 50-50 club, and she became the Flyers' all-time leading scorer with 58 goals and 52 assists. She was twice named to the Hermann Trophy Watch, was a member of the U-23 national team, and was drafted by the Washington Spirit before a knee injury ended her career.
Williams, who will marry in May, is also known as a philanthropist. She collected her $1 from every attendee at a Flyers home game and donated it to needy families in the Dayton area on Christmas. She founded her Sista Soccer in 2017. This program collects donated balls, uniforms, and shoes and distributes them at a free soccer clinic in Honolulu (where I earned my Masters). SistaSoccer eventually became a worldwide program.
One of the countless stars to come out of the Lawrence Hamnets youth soccer program, Dave Pasquito was no stranger to championships and promoting them. After two decades of excellence in Lawrence, Pasquito became the Cardinals' first star of the '80s, scoring 16 goals and leading Lou Angebrant's Cardinals to the state championship in 1980. Dave won the state final against Livingston and was an All-County player that year.
At Mercer County Community College, he scored 14 points for the Vikings (19-2-1) and led MCCC to the NJCAA National Championship in 1982 with 22 points. Passquito played in the Region XIX Tournament where he was named the team's Offensive MVP, and in the National Tournament where he was also selected to the team. Pasquito then became the University of Maryland's leading scorer in 1983 before a knee injury ended his college career. He won travel and club championships with the Trenton Panorama, Mercer Juniors and Mercer Rowdies, played on the Garden State Tire Team's virtual county all-star team, and won the New Jersey State Cup. won the championship.
Jim Tharp becomes the third member of his family to join Hall, following his father and uncle. Hightstown Tharpe graduated from the YMCA and East Windsor PAL soccer programs, served as Peddie's goaltender for three years, then headed to St. Bonaventure (West Virginia via Wesleyan where he served one season) , the school set him as a one-season limited goaltender. He won 12 games in 1982, a record that still stands.
After graduating from college, Tharp went on to play for several powerhouse amateur clubs. He was instrumental in the Cranberry Kickers' first-year undefeated season and helped the Hibernians win the state and East Region over-30 titles. Jim also played for the German American Kickers and played for the Cranberry Kickers into his fifties. From there, Tharp coached boys and girls from U8 to U19 at Easter Windsor PAL, Cranberry Soccer Club, West Windsor-Plainsboro, and Match Fit Academy. He served as director of his Soccer Club in Cranberry for 10 years and was instrumental in organizing a men's summer tournament in Cranberry that drew teams from the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. Jim has been a member of the Mercer County Soccer HOF Executive Committee for 20 years.
The son of 1993 HOF inductee Thomas King, Jim King excelled as a high school and college athlete and then went on to become a respected high school and college referee for more than 30 years. Growing up in Hamilton's rec and travel programs, King's teams won numerous titles. He attended Notre Dame in his early 1960s, and in 10 years he played for a program that reached the state finals five times. He and his East Trenton buddies formed a tournament team and had success playing all over the state.
After earning All-County honors as a senior in 1965, King played on the University of Maryland team that won four consecutive ACC championships and made three NCAA appearances. After his college graduation, King earned a reputation as a strict but fair official. He often worked six games a day a week, with Hamnett and Hamilton rec games on Saturdays. As a college referee, he officiated multiple conference finals as well as his NCAA Tournament games. Under the tutelage of Dick Giarella, King became an appointee and teacher of umpiring candidates and sent many students on to become high school umpires. He also found time to train teams in his CYO program at Hamnets and St. Anne's.
