Setting sail in top conference

The Lady Sailors knocked off Bellmore-JFK and Syosset in the playoffs and led eventual county champion Massapequa at halftime before falling 2-1. “I was happy we played as well as we did,” Coach Marianna Winchester said. “We lost a bunch of seniors, but we have a pretty strong group coming back. I think we have talent equal to last year’s team. We just have to develop the chemistry.”

Winchester kept 25 on the varsity roster and likes what she saw during the opening week of practice. “Our balance is excellent,” she said. “Once they get rhythm going we’ll be fine. If something’s not working we’ll have a deep enough bench to try different combinations.”

Oceanside’s defense will be tough to crack. Senior captain Karina Rizzo and sophomore Nicole Berger are the starting outside backs, senior Tess Ytuarte returns at sweeper, and senior Helen Fields, junior Paulette Scalamandre and sophomore Melissa Horan all bring varsity experience to the table. Rizzo possesses great foot skills and speed, and if given space she’ll make an offensive push along the sideline. “Karina’s consistent game-in and game-out,” Winchester said. Berger rarely came off the field as a freshman and had no problem dealing with the level of physicality. “Nicole’s quick to the ball and smart,” Winchester said.

The last line of defense is senior goalkeeper Ashley Castanio, who has committed to play at Stony Brook University. She earned All-Conference honors in 2008 and posted three shutouts. “Ashley has had some excellent games,” Winchester said. “She plays so hard and does a nice job of cutting down angles. She owns the box and isn’t going to let anyone take it from her.”