By LESLEY GRAHAM
Kathy Reimet signed up her daughter, Summer, for soccer at age three to introduce her to a game she played and loved.
She wanted to give her daughter an opportunity to fall in love with the game, too. Summer took to it like a bee to honey.
Now a senior, Summer Reimet became the all-time leading scorer for the Ocean City High School girls soccer team, breaking the record set just last year by Faith Slimmer, who graduated in 2021.
Summer entered Tuesday’s game with 99 goals, needing one to tie the record and two to break it. She finished the afternoon with six goals, increasing her career total to 105 and counting.
In addition, she topped her previously tied record (with Slimmer) of 35 goals for a season. Summer now has 36, with plenty of soccer left to play.
After achieving the momentous milestone, she was quick to point out that none of this would have been possible without the support of her teammates and coaches.
“I am so thankful to all my teammates who, from the beginning of the season, have helped me reach this goal. Without them, I wouldn’t have reached this accomplishment,” Summer said in an interview.
“We also have a ton of soccer games left to play, and winning those games is my and the team’s number one focus,” she added.
Knowing that Summer’s goal-scoring abilities play a critical role in the success of the team, Head Coach Lisa Cuneo is grateful for Reimet and what she has done for the girls soccer program at Ocean City.
Cuneo, who is in her second year as head coach, is aware of how much of her life Summer has dedicated to soccer and what that dedication has done for not only her own game, but for the stature of the girls program.
“Summer was on a mission this year and is taking full advantage of every opportunity she gets out on that field. Records are made to be broken and she was on a mission from game one to start reaching that milestone. Her goals come from a team behind her that is willing to work for her success. Because her success is our success,” Cuneo said in an interview.
Summer, who will be continuing her athletic and academic career at Monmouth University next year, is looking forward to the next challenges that collegiate soccer will bring.
But in the meantime, Summer, the team and the coaches are focused on the here and now – working hard, winning games and proving how talented they are.
“Don’t forget, we have another state championship to get back to,” Summer said.
The Ocean City girls soccer team won the state championship in 2019 with a record of 24-1-1.
Last year, due to the COVID 19 pandemic, there were no state championship opportunities for fall sports, but the girls soccer program finished the shortened season with a 6-0-1 record.
