Hewlett seeks offensive consistency

After going 7-3-2 in conference play last season and losing a first-round Nassau Class A playoff game to Garden City, a youthful Hewlett girls’ soccer team needs to finish first among Class A teams in Conference ABC-IV to return to the postseason.

“We’re pretty young,” Lady Bulldogs coach Gil Kreiss said. “We can definitely compete, but we’ve been a little unlucky. We haven’t been able to put the ball in the net consistently, but we’ve had some solid offensive games.”

Though Hewlett (2-2-1 overall) was kept off the scoreboard for the second time in three games, falling 1-0 to Friends Academy on Sept. 26, there’s plenty of offensive talent on a roster that runs 23-deep, Kreiss said. Five different players scored through five games, including freshman Katherine Sossan who had both goals in a 2-1 win over Glen Cove in the conference opener.

The lone goal in the loss to Friends Academy came on the rebound of a corner kick in the second half. Eva Valcic’s corner kick was cleared out of the box but bounced right back to her, and she sailed a perfect shot into the upper far corner of the net. “It was a back-and-forth game with a lot of physical play,” Kreiss said. “Both teams played well. It took a perfect shot to beat us, and I thought Friends was the toughest team we’ve seen so far.”

Getting the ball past Lady Bulldogs junior goalkeeper Natalie Nidetch is no easy task, Kreiss said. The All-Conference selection a year ago is evolving as a leader and is already drawing interest from Division I colleges. “She’s the total package,” Kreiss said of the third-year varsity performer. “Her technical skills are off the charts.”

The defense in front of Nidetch is comprised of all underclassmen, led by sophomore Elizabeth Sossan at stopper. Sossan earned her way into the starting lineup midway through 2012 and hardly came off the field, Kreiss said. “She’s tall, strong and skilled,” the coach said. Junior Anna Maiorano, who saw time on the varsity field a year ago, has started every game at sweeper thus far and brings a combination of toughness and heady play to the position.

At fullback the future is bright with freshman Gillian Moser, who has been solid dating back to last fall and has started every game. Junior Ariel Purnsiran, up from the JV, has brought additional grit to the defense, which also gets contributions from senior Samantha Acriche and junior Samantha Cohen.

The offense is led by freshman Katherine Sossan and senior Gabrielle Schwartz at forward. Sossan, who enjoyed some success last season, had both goals in Hewlett’s win over Glen Cove. Schwartz has a goal, as do young midfielders Sydney Corda and Alex Levy. Kreiss said things often run through Corda, a sophomore already in her third varsity campaign. Senior Emily Cohen is steady in every facet, senior Julie Troyestsky lends experience to the midfield group, and junior Gabrielle Korin is a key distributor in transition.