Shore Sports Insider 2024 Girls Soccer Player of the Year: Abby Hanemann, Point Boro
(Bob Badders | rpbphotography.com)
Shore Sports Insider 2024 Girls Soccer Player of the Year
Abby Hanemann, Sr., Point Boro
Reaching 28 assists in the Shore Conference and finishing second in New Jersey in assists is a difficult accomplishment. The Shore Conference does not see many blowout games due to a division set up that make the games as competitive as they can be. When senior Abby Hanemann reached that feat, capped by two assists in the Group 2 championship game, it cemented her place as the first Shore Sports Insider Player of the Year.
“It’s unreal,” Coach Mike Edolo said. “Ten or fifteen assists is amazing but getting close to thirty? Amazing. Not to mention she could have had forty. We missed so many easy chances this year from her crosses, but I’m not surprised. I know that nine out of ten times she is going to win her one-on-one battle and get a good ball across the goal mouth. I have watched her do it for four years and each year she got a little better. This year she was unstoppable.”
Hanemann was a big reason why the Panthers won their first ever Group 2 title and reached their first Shore Conference Tournament Final since 1990. In the SCT semifinal game, she had the game-winning assist on a free kick after she was tripped outside the box. Like she has done so many times this season, she connected with classmate Gabby Mellet, who scored the game winner in overtime. The duo connected in the state tournament, with their final connection in the Group 2 Final on Hanemann’s corner kick into the box that Mellet headed in.
Senior Abby Hanemann had the game-winning assist in double overtime against Howell in the SCT semifinal. (Photo by Tom Smith)
Hanemann, who is committed to West Chester next season, has the dangerous combination of speed and footwork that causes problems for defenders. You can see a smile on her face and the enjoyment she has when she is about to make her move and exploit defenders to give the Panthers a scoring chance.
“I don’t know too many players that love the ball as much as her,” Edolo said. “You can see the passion and dedication she has for this game just by how she moves with the ball. It is clear that she pushed herself and spent hours and hours to reach the level of comfort she has in tight spaces, taking people on and she has really worked on her service. It’s remarkable but it is testament to how much time and effort she put into getting better. You don’t do that unless you love the game. Players like her make the coach’s job easy.”
Point Boro senior Abby Hanemann had two assists during the Panthers’ 4-0 win over Haddonfield in the NJSIAA Group 2 semifinals. (Bob Badders | rpbphotography.com)
Hanemann finished the season with eight goals, with three of them coming in the state tournament. She switched her focus from scoring to setting up her teammates early in the season, when she quickly racked up eight assists in the first five games. One reason was the return of junior Elise Viggiano from an injury that cost her time last season. Viggiano finished with a career-high 19 goals, due, in large part, to Hanemann’s ability to get her the ball in the right spots.
“Abby is a leader in everything that she does,” Edodo said. “She deserves all of the success in the world. Her effort and preparation set the tone for the rest of the group. Her determination to make sure we got a trophy this year was evident in every game we played, but most evident in our State tournament run. Leaders show-up in the biggest moments and what she did in the state tournament was nothing less than spectacular. When someone wants to win so badly that just brings the entire group to a different level. She raised the level and made sure everyone came with her.”
Hanemann will be playing soccer and running track next year at West Chester — a very strong Division II program. In the 2022 season, West Chester reached the NCAA Division II championship game, which they lost, 2-1, for its only defeat of the season.
