Calhoun rally stuns MacArthur

Trailing third-seeded MacArthur by two goals early in the second half of a Nassau Class AA girls’ soccer semifinal playoff game, No. 2 Calhoun (9-5-3 overall) found itself needing all hands (and feet, and heads) on deck to overcome the deficit. And the Lady Colts got just that, as senior Kayla Cappuzzo capped a furious rally with a header off a corner kick by sophomore Taylor Iacono in the 65th minute to pull out an improbable 3-2 victory. 

“We had momentum in the game,” Lady Colts coach Lori Biscardi said. “Both times after [MacArthur’s goals] we hit the post and the crossbar. We never gave up. We just knew it wasn’t over because of the way we were playing.”

After the Lady Generals scored their second goal in the 48th minute, Calhoun rebounded with a pair over the next two minutes to forge a tie. Iacono booted home a pass from Cappuzzo just one minute after the team’s leading scorer, senior Taylor Sipos, put Calhoun on the board by converting a free kick from 25 yards out.

The comeback launched Calhoun into the Class AA county finals for the third straight season against top-seeded Massapequa. The Lady Colts lost, 2-0, with both goals coming late in the Tuesday night matchup at Tully Park. The Lady Chiefs knocked off Calhoun, 3-2, in last season’s title game, and MacArthur took a 3-0 decision in 2011. “The girls wanted this so badly,” Biscardi said. “We’re lucky to be here three years in a row.”

Scoring three goals in 16 minutes was a follow-up to a 4-1 victory over Plainview JFK on Oct. 29, in the quarterfinals. Calhoun jumped out to a three-goal lead in the first half with Sipos, Iacono and Cappuzzo each scoring. Sipos added another goal in the second half. “They were so ready and played phenomenal,” Biscardi said. “They came out with so much intensity.”

Iacono, who missed several games due to an injury, returned to the lineup and scored in each of the two playoff wins. “They’re learning to dig really deep,” Biscardi said. “They’re so determined and ready to keep going. They have that fight and don’t want to lose.”

While the offense exploded on the scoreboard with seven goals in the first two postseason games, the defense continued to make strides late in the season. The return of junior Rebecca Woods from an earlier injury and the jelling of several younger players — sophomores Jackie Shand and Marianne Cassisa — with juniors Danielle Losquadro and Allison Boldis appear to have the unit peaking at exactly the right time. The regular season ended with consecutive 1-0 shutouts of Mepham and Farmingdale.