Megan Alvino

Megan Alvino was a leader on four Glen Rock High School girls soccer teams. Particularly notable for having preeminently exceptional defenses, those four teams, coached by Hall of fame inductee Tracy Trobiano, had the most successful four-year period in the history of Glen Rock’s extremely successful girls soccer program. And they accomplished this success before the NJSIAA separated public and private schools in girls soccer state championship competitions.

As a rare freshman starter, Megan joined sophomore sweeper and future Hall of Game inductee Erin Lautermilch as part of the 1995 Team’s defensive backfield. That team also included future Hall of Fame inductees and juniors Melissa Bochiaro and Kate Hanley. It won the B-PSL, King Championship, reached the Championship Game of the Bergen County tournament, and then won the Group 2, Sectional Championship with a 1-0 victory over Ramsey (after Megan’s long assist to goal scoring Kristen Ferry). It subsequently defeated Mendham 1-0 (on a key pass from Erin to Mary Kate Sokowloski) to win the Group 2, North Jersey Championship and advance to the State Championship game. In an extremely hard-fought game, Glen Rock tied defending champion Moorestown (a team that featured two First Team, All-State forwards) by a score of 1-1 and was crowned Group 2, State Co-Champion. Glen Rock’s tying goal was scored by Melissa Bochiaro. The team’s final record was 20-2-2 (with one of those two losses in the County Final) with a defense that recorded 19 shutouts and only allowed 7 goals in those 24 games. Although only a freshman, at the end of the season, Megan was named to the Second Team, All-B-PSL, King.

In the following season, future Hall of Fame inductee junior Meghan Quinlan moved from playing midfield to play goalie, Erin continued to play sweeper and Megan assumed the stopper position. The 1996 Team won the B-PSL, King Championship, reached the Championship Game of the Bergen County tournament, and then won the Group 1, Sectional Championship with a 3-0 victory over Eastern Christian(after Melissa’s opening goal on a pass from Megan set the tone for the remainder of the game).Glen Rock subsequently defeated perennial Group 1 Champion Morris Catholic by a score of 1-0 on a goal from Kristin Ferry to win the Group 1, North Jersey Championship. It then won the Group 1, State Co-Championship after a 1-1 tie with The Pingry School on a notably cold and windy day.  The team’s final record was 22-1-1 with a defense that recorded 21 shutouts and only allowed 5 goals in those 24 games. Its only loss was to the much larger and nationally ranked Ramapo in the County Final. At the end of the season, Megan was named to the First Team, All-B-PSL, King.

In Megan’s junior year, she moved to midfield. The 1997 Team won the B-PSL, King Championship and the Group 2, Sectional Championship. Glen Rock then defeated Union Catholic by a score of 3-1 (including a goal by Megan on a shot from near midfield) to win the Group 2, North Jersey Championship. It then won the Group 2, State Co-Championship after being held to a 0-0 tie by Gloucester Catholic. The team’s final record was 18-1-2 with a defense that recorded 18 shutouts and only allowed 4 goals in those 21 games. Its only loss was in a shootout after tying much larger and nationally ranked Ridgewood on a rain-soaked field in the semifinal of the Bergen County tournament. At the end of the season, Megan was named to the Third Team, Group 2, All-State by the Newark Star-Ledger; the Second Team, All-County; the Second Team, All-Suburban; and the First Team, All-B-PSL, King.

After the graduation of Erin, Meghan and many other starters on the 1997 Team, the area pundits said that Glen Rock would be “hard pressed” to maintain its run of success. However, despite the absence of her former teammates, Megan led the 1998 Team to a near repeat of those prior three State Co-Championship seasons. She began the season by moving from her midfield position to the stopper position to solidify the team’s comparatively inexperienced defense. However, by midseason, she often returned to playing midfield to trigger the team’s offense (and thereby scored 7 goals and 6 assists in the second half of the season). Glen Rock won the B-PSL, King Championship and then won the Group 1, Sectional Championship with a 1-0 victory over Waldwick. It then defeated defending champion Morris Catholic 1-0 to win the Group 1, North Jersey Championship. (This victory and Glen Rock’s victory over Morris Catholic in 1996 were that school’s only defeats in State Competition between 1988 and 1998.). Unfortunately, in the State Championship final, Glen Rock lost to undefeated The Pingry School 1-0, when a late game freekick hit the bottom of the crossbar and dropped into the goal. The team’s final record was 20-3-1 with a defense that recorded 18 shutouts and only allowed 8 goals.

At the end of the season, Megan was named to the Second Team, All Groups, All-State and First Team, Group 1, All-State by the Newark Star-Ledger, the First Team, All-County, the First Team, All-Suburban and the First Team, All-B-PSL, King

During Megan’s four years, Glen Rock had a combined record of 80-7-6 and won a Group, State Co-Championship in three of those four years and a Group, North Jersey Championship in that fourth year. Glen Rock’s total of eleven State Titles is the third most of any high school in New Jersey and is only exceeded by non-public Morris Catholic and regional Ramapo Regional High School. 

Megan was also a four-year member of Glen Rock’s basketball team. Playing as a guard, as a junior, she was named to Second Team, All-B-PSL, Carpenter.  As a senior, she was named to the First Team, All-B-PSL, King and Second Team, All-Suburban.

In her senior year, Megan joined the Track & Field Team and with a fifth-place finish in the javelin at the Group 1, Bergen County Championship, she helped her team win that championship.