But as all three Montclair High girls soccer captains continued discussing what they thought would make their upcoming season a success, the collective goal became clear: to win a sectional title, something that’s alluded the trio during the past three seasons.

Montclair’s been close, reaching the sectional final each year, only to lose, 2-1, in overtime to Roxbury in 2005. Current captains Morgan Stith and Annie Goor started as freshman on that team. In ’06, MHS’ other current captain, Ingrid Kaplan, joined classmates Stith and Goor on the varsity, and the Mounties suffered a 1-0 loss to Kearny. The Kardinals also blanked Montclair in the final, 3-0, last year.

"We have some rebuilding to do, but we certainly have enough girls to do very well in the State tournament," Kaplan said. "I don’t think we are putting too much pressure on ourselves by making a sectional title our biggest goal. [The captains] have all been there at least twice, now we just have to finish with a win."

The rebuilding Kaplan referred to is due in part to the Mounties graduating seven senior starters from last year’s 17-4 team, which won its third straight Essex County Tournament crown. With its core of returnees primarily in the middle and back of the pitch, plenty of new faces will lead the attack.

"I couldn’t set a lineup today, but there will be a lot of underclassmen who will be called upon to fill the offensive void created by graduation," MHS coach Chris Johnson told The Times on Tuesday. "I like what I’ve seen from those girls so far, and we do have a lot of great players back at other spots on the field."

University of Virginia-bound Stith, who was first team All-State in ’07, will move from sweeper to center halfback. Kaplan, the MHS defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore, will slide into the sweeper role.

Junior Meg Morris, fresh off an appearance in Sports Illustrated this summer as a young player to watch, will move up front.

One of five high school females in the U.S. National U-20 pool, Morris will demand attention from defenders. However, it’s unlikely she will come across anyone who plays defense as well as she did for Montclair last year. Couple the mismatch with her speed and tenaciousness, and Morris is primed to have a monster season.

"Meg brings a ton of talent into the overall equation for us," said Johnson. "She has an endless motor and will be a big part of our hopeful success this year."

Goor will eventually join juniors Malika Miller and Olivia Ciardi on the flanks. The player with the most powerful foot on the team, Goor suffered a broken nose against Kearny in last year’s final and had surgery on July 24 to repair a deviated septum.

"It’s hard to sit and have to watch as a captain, so I’ve been as vocal as possible until I can get back out onto the field," Goor said. "We’ve got a great bunch of girls. To get back to the sectional final and win it is something that we talk about more each day."

In goal for the Mounties is senior Caitlin Pacheco, who subbed for the graduated Clare Colton, a three-year starter, in matches last season.

"I think the whole team is confident with Caitlin behind us," Kaplan said. "Clare was an outstanding goaltender and I’m used to her being back there and being vocal, and Caitlin has proven she can get the job done too."

Another positive that Johnson has observed since camp began this past Saturday was the overall stellar fitness of his team.

"A lot of the girls stayed in shape through club soccer and other sports, which is great," he said. "I think the younger girls also realized we have plenty of slots to fill and made a point of coming into the workouts in great shape. That allowed us to get right down to business with soccer from the beginning."

The Mounties’ first scrimmage is Saturday against Kearny. The team will then spend two days in Massachusetts where it will play three scrimmages. The team then heads home for a final tune-up against Roxbury on Sept. 8. MHS opens the regular season in Hackensack against Bergen Tech on Friday, Sept. 12, at 4 p.m.

"I’ve been encouraged by the group in that they want to work hard," said Johnson. "There is a nice mix of young and old, and when everyone is talented, that’s when it’s exciting. I think we have that here this year."