60.0°,
Overcast Long Beach loaded with youth
Posted
Senior Marybeth Whalen is a key on defense for Long Beach.
Frank Koester/Herald
A myriad of young talent along with some senior leadership sprinkled in should make for an interesting girls’ soccer season for Long Beach, which remained in Conference VI after a 6-5-1 finish in 2008.
“We’re young, but we’ve got a lot of returning kids who play for club teams,” coach T.J. Burke said. “The conference changed quite a bit, so it’s tough to say if there’s a favorite. We’re hoping to make the playoffs, but only the conference champ is guaranteed a spot.”
The seven-team conference looks nothing like it did a year ago. Only the Lady Marines and Carey returned. Gone is Manhasset, Hewlett, Malverne/East Rockaway, Oyster Bay and Lawrence, replaced by Port Washington, Elmont, Lynbrook, Friends Academy and Valley Stream North.
Usually, a team saddled with as much youth as Long Beach might struggle to keep pace with more experienced clubs. But that’s not necessarily going to be the case, despite the fact the Lady Marines need to replace Nassau’s fourth-highest goal scorer in Taylor Horgan, who is already contributing as a freshman at SUNY-Farmingdale. “We should be able to generate our share of offense,” Burke said.
Halfbacks Annalee Gillespie and Shannon Romig will not only create scoring chances but get some of their own. Gillespie, a senior, knows when to turn up the pressure on a defense and will need to do so a little more in September while Romig, a freshman, works her way back from a knee injury. Most of the workload up front seems slated for sophomores Julie Whelan and Virginia Gillespie and freshman Briana Posada.
Posada could also see time in the midfield with senior Chelsea Marcell and freshman Emily Agudelo. Marcell, a three-year varsity player, usually gets one of the tougher defensive assignments and is a quality passer. Agudelo is new to the varsity scene but is capable of running the offense from the middle, as she proved in scrimmages against Hewlett and Hicksville. “Emily has a superb skill level and is crafty with the ball,” Burke said.
Page 1 / 2
Report an inappropriate comment
Comments