Lady Seahawks eye top spot

The Carey Lady Seahawks started to make a little noise on the soccer pitch last season and hope to take it to another level in 2011.

With better numbers than ever before, and a strong feeder program starting to have an impact at the high school level, the present and future looks rosy at Carey. This fall the Lady Seahawks are competing in Nassau Conference AA-III with the likes of Freeport, Hempstead, Elmont, Uniondale, Great Neck South, and Westbury.

Lola Intagliata, in her 11th season as head coach at Carey, believes her team has the talent to win a conference title. “I really think we can go all the way,” Intagliata said. “While we are a little on the young side, the talent level has risen considerably. If we play as a team, I think we should have a very good season.”

“Together as one team, we can fulfill one dream” is the team’s motto. No player exemplifies that more than team captain Erica Sousa. The senior midfielder, who will play collegiately at Rutgers University, is the heart and soul of the Lady Seahawks and coming off a 10-goal campaign. “Erica is the most selfless player I have ever coached,” Intagliata said. “Scoring goals is only a small part of her overall game. She’s constantly looking to set up teammates for scoring opportunities. Erica is a true role model who is always supportive of her teammates.”

Carey will be without its go-to player for much of the beginning of the season. Sousa played very well after being invited to tryout for the Portuguese 19U national team over the summer. She will be competing in Portugal in September.

The Lady Seahawks will be relatively inexperienced in the net and on the backline. Sophomore Kelsey Barnes takes over in goal, with eighth-grader McKenzie Nytray waiting in the wings. Intagliata is confident that both netminders can get the job done.