Catherine Fiore is racing down the flank on nearly every single possession, embodying the energy her coach said has carried the Paul VI girls' soccer team to a surprisingly hot start.
A nonstop motor and lightning-fast speed are largely responsible for Fiore's four goals for the 4-1-1 Eagles - this in the senior's first year as a starter.
Is Fiore trying to make up for lost time?
Not really, she said.
"I've been working hard. It's senior year. I just want to go out with a bang," Fiore said.
As many of her teammates did, Fiore received sparse minutes last season as talented, future Division I players filled out much of Paul VI's starting lineup.
The graduation of those players had many prognosticators predicting a rebuilding year at Paul VI.
Even coach Keith Walters conceded that, before the season, he would have considered a 4-1-1 start a bit of a reach.
"I just thought we might need a little time to come together," he said.
But the team has jelled, Walters said, and that is paying dividends.
"We have an extremely enthusiastic, close, unselfish group this year," Walters said. "They get along great. They don't care who the star of every game is. They just want to win."
The Eagles' only loss this season came on opening day against perennial powerhouse Lenape. But the 2-0 defeat served a positive purpose.
"It kind of made us realize how good we can be this season," senior defender Sarah Harris said. "Since then, we've just been getting better and better.
"It's really all heart. We lost a lot of people [from last season], but we believe in each other, and we know can still win games."
That's not to say that Paul VI lost everyone from last year.
Returning starters include Harris, a seasoned veteran and a player who Walters said provides his team "a sense of security"; juniors Jacki Carty and Kristen Morawski, one of the area's top midfield duos; and goalie Kristen McShane, who has allowed just four goals in five games since the loss to Lenape.
Bullish on the Bulldogs. Entering this season, Haddonfield boys' coach Joe Falana said he wasn't sure what to expect from a team replacing nine starters.
That changed pretty quickly in the summer.
"I thought we might be OK this year," said Falana, in his 38th year at Haddonfield. "But when I saw the group for the first time this preseason, I immediately knew we were going to be a whole lot better than OK.
"The lineup we have put together has looked very impressive."
Falana, perhaps because of a well-trained eye, proved prophetic. His young team has opened the season at 4-1-1.
One of the only starters the Bulldogs did return was its leading scorer, Alex Johnston, who netted 16 goals for a team that went 19-3-1 and won the South Jersey Group 2 title.
Johnston is combining with some surprising younger players to make Haddonfield formidable from top to bottom.
Falana praised the development of sophomore backs Chuck Clarke and Will Melendez. The coach also pointed to the strong play of junior keeper Ethan Schultz and a midfield composed mostly of juniors.
"They've stepped in, and they look just like veterans," Falana said. "If we continue to play good defense and we can get our offense in gear - and we know we have the players - then we're going to be a really good team."
Contact Chris Melchiorre at rallysports@phillynews.com.
