East Meadow gets influx of young talent

The loss of not one, but two All-State players and an influx of talented underclassmen made for a major transition on the field for the East Meadow girls’ soccer team.

The starting lineup has featured as many as six underclassmen, including one at forward, one at center-midfield and three sophomores on the backline. But despite all of the changes and an 0-3 start (0-2 in Conference AA-I), the Lady Jets caught a glimpse of what may lie ahead in a 3-0 loss to Massapequa.

“We played very well at Massapequa,” coach Adam Hananel said. “We controlled the game in the first half. Even though we were down 2-0, we were controlling the play. We talked after the game about how we’re capable of playing when we play the right way.”

Freshman goalkeeper Nicole Castro, the new starter for East Meadow who came up straight from the junior-high ranks, stopped six shots. “She’s hard-working and very coachable and wants to do well,” Hananel said. “She’s trying to get better and is a confident girl. She’s not the shy, quiet type and just has to feel [the varsity game] out a little bit.”

The Lady Jets have made an early adjustment to a flat-back defensive alignment to take better advantage of their personnel. Senior Madison Young is joined by sophomores Jenna Borresen, Amanda Ashe and Alexis Epstein in the new scheme, which focuses more on playing in space than identifying individual players to mark. Sophomore Amanda Franzese and junior Katherina Pizarro are also in the mix on defense. “We have the ability [to be successful with it],” Hananel said. “As long as we communicate well and pressure the ball we’ll also have help.”