Lady Sailors play well in defeat

With nine starters back after reaching the Nassau Class AA girls’ soccer semifinals, Oceanside came out of the gate with a strong performance against defending county champion and nemesis Massapequa.

Though the Lady Sailors came up short on the scoreboard, 2-0, coach Marianna Winchester was pleased with their performance in the Sept. 20 opener. “We played a solid game,” she said. “It was tied at halftime and I think we had them a little surprised since we started with a bye and they had a game under their belt. We created just as many scoring opportunities as they did.”

Amanda Reverberi and Shannon Garrity scored second-half goals for Massapequa, which got seven saves from EmmaLee Meyer. Oceanside senior keeper Jessica Kambic made eight stops and came back two days later to combine with sophomore backup Emily Doherty on a shutout against Uniondale.

“Jessica’s doing well,” Winchester said of Kambic after last Friday’s 1-0 loss to visiting Syosset. “She’s agile and controls the space around the goal well,” she added. “Her confidence and performance level is up there.”

The coach said on defense, the Lady Sailors “are as balanced as we can be.” Senior Paulette Scalamandre and Samantha Raimondo are the starting center backs, while junior Nicole Berger and senior Casey Block start at fullback. In addition, sophomore Kelley Backus has provided strong minutes. “We have a lot of experience on defense,” Winchester explained. “As a group, they’re solid and fast.”

A pair of award-winning midfielders return in senior All-Class selections Vanessa Cornacchio and Amanda Margolis. Cornacchio and junior Stephanie Keane work the outside, while Margolis and senior Rebecca Rothman lock down the middle. In an easy 10-0 win over Uniondale, Margolis had two goals, Rothman had one goal and two assists, and Cornacchio added a goal and an assist.

Up front, Oceanside has experience and potential with senior Tina Pumo and junior Danielle Rossi. The duo combined for three goals and one assist in the Uniondale game.

“I think we’re jelling,” Winchster said. “We have more depth than we did last year. The key is to stay healthy.”

Oceanside was the No. 3 seed in the playoffs in 2009 and knocked off Hicksville in the quarterfinals before suffering a heartbreaking 2-1 semifinal loss to East Meadow in overtime.

With Nassau County switching to enrollment-based conferences instead of grouping them by ability, the Lady Sailors were placed in Conference II along with Massapequa, Uniondale, Syosset, Freeport, Hempstead and Farmingdale. If the first full week of action is any indication, the top four rates clearly above the bottom three. “We’ve always been in one of the top two conferences,” Winchester said. “I prefer the previous format where we’re playing the best opponents every day.”

Regardless of the system, Oceanside’s goal is the same. “We’re looking to get into the playoffs and make a run at the finals,” Winchester said.