Donohue, Eldridge Shine as Trinity Hall Makes Claim for No. 1

OCEANPORT —While every other American Division team lost at least once in the first three weeks, Trinity Hall finished the early slate of games unbeaten. On Saturday, the Monarchs displayed dynamic skills, two elite scorers, and a strong supporting cast, making a case for the number one spot in the upcoming Shore Sports Insider Top 10 rankings as they routed preseason state-ranked Bridgewater-Raritan, 18-5.

The Monarchs started fast, with junior attacker/midfielder O’Malley Eldridge (Army commit) scoring twice quickly. Junior midfielder Chiara Donohue (Duke commit) added a goal from an unusual arm angle. The offense consistently found cutters in position. Junior attacker Rosie Spiropoulos scored next, and by the end of the first quarter, the score was 7-2, with the lead growing from there.

Bridgewater-Raritan could not contain Donohue or Eldridge. Eldridge was composed all day, finishing with a career-high eight goals.

Head Coach Dana Lenneper had high praise for Eldridge, who was an All-Shore selection as a sophomore last season.

“I love her, she’s such a fun kid to be around, she works so hard, and she never gives up,” said Lenneper.

Donohue is making an early case for Shore Sports Insider Player of the Year. She finished with six goals, an assist, five forced turnovers, and five ground balls.

“It’s just fun to watch her play, she’s so good at listening and applying, if I say something she does it so quickly and does it so well, she’s all over the field at all times,” said Lenneper.

Many teams with two elite scorers struggle with chemistry. This is not the case for Trinity Hall.

“She is like my sister, I feel like I have a third sense for where she is at all times,” said Eldridge. “Playing with such a good player like her not only helps me but sets the standard higher.”

Donohue echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the connection between the two.

“It’s so amazing she’s the best, I don’t even think to know where she is on the field, she’s so easy to play with,” said Donohue.

Beyond their top two scorers, the Monarchs look complete. Their defense shone again, limiting the Panthers to five goals—matching their early-season trend of holding teams to five goals or less in four out of five games.

“They do such a good job of supporting each other on both ends of the field, their communication and their doubles and their patience on their checks is their biggest thing,” said Lenneper.

Sophomore midfielder Lyla Lu had five points (one goal, four assists). Sophomore Sarina DeRosa added four points (one goal, three assists). Senior defender Winnie Popham contributed a goal and an assist.

Trinity Hall improved to 5-0. Next week, they play at Red Bank on Monday, host Manasquan on Thursday, and travel to Holy Spirit on Saturday.