Carey in search of consistency

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A year removed from a conference championship, the Carey girls’ lacrosse team moved up to Nassau Conference IV where they’re facing the challenge of tougher league foes. With a young, injury-riddled lineup going up against stronger opponents, results have not been pleasant for the Lady Seahawks early on in the 2014 season. 

After back-to-back losses to Division and Jericho, Carey is 2-4 (1-3 in league play.) With upcoming league games with Mineola, Bethpage, Sewanhaka, Plainview JFK, and New Hyde Park, the Lady Seahawks will need a strong second half of the season to return to postseason play. 

Colleen Killoran, in her second year as head coach, remains optimistic about Carey’s chances of getting back in the mix. “We’re young and we’ve had a lot of injuries that have hurt us, but we’re just not getting the consistent amount of intensity that we need to play with,” said Killoran, who is assisted by Nicole Catapano. “The competition is tougher, but we should be able to compete with anyone in the league. We need to gain a little more confidence, and play like we’re capable of playing.”

Freshman Angelica Miceli-Kaya handles the goaltending duties. The first-year varsity player is inexperienced, but has good instincts and handles her stick well. Miceli-Kaya had four saves in an opening day 7-6 win over Floral Park.

The defensive unit, composed of senior Kasey Ilardi, and juniors Cheyenne Samson and Dana Susse, is the heart and soul of the team. The cohesive group is aggressive and vocal, and versatile enough to get involved in the offensive attack.

Sophomore Shannon Giddens, an All-Conference recipient as a freshman, is an excellent all-around player who gets it done on both sides of the field. She has seven goals on the season. Senior Christina Ryan, who will play lacrosse at Mount St. Mary College, does a good job at handling the face-offs for Carey. Ryan had five goals in a win over Bellmore JFK.

Fleet-footed senior Jackie DiMarco is doing a good job at finding the back of the net and scooping up ground balls. DiMarco has nine goals in the team’s first six games. Junior Amanda Guido leads the team with 12 goals. She scored three goals in each of the games that Carey has won.

Sophomore Courtney Condron is a versatile midfielder who can play anywhere on the field. Hard-working senior Kellianne Randazzo contributes for the Lady Seahawks.

Killoran is hopeful that her team will turn things around. “We make it a point to have a balanced team of girls who can play multiple positions, and look for contributions from the entire lineup,” Killoran said. “We’re still trying to find it. I think we have the ability, but just haven’t put it all together yet. I’m optimistic that we will.” 

The Lady Seahawks host Carle Place in a non-league contest on Tuesday, April 22 at 4:30 p.m.