Mepham upset in playoffs

Mepham capped an undefeated season in Conference III by earning the No. 2 seed in the Nassau Class AA girls soccer playoff tournament.

But the Lady Pirates (14-2 overall) were knocked out in the quarterfinal round for the fourth consecutive season by an opponent that would eventually play for the title. Tenth-seeded Oceanside made a pair of second-half goals stand up in a 2-1 victory on Nov. 2.

“It was a really good soccer game,” Mepham coach Jim McManus said. “We controlled the field and had more shots on goal then they did, but they have an outstanding goalie that you just don’t hear much about.”

Lady Sailors senior goalie Jessica Kambic stopped 18 of the 19 shots she faced, shutting sown a late Mepham charge after sophomore Kelsey Simpson scored to trim a two-goal deficit to one. “We started to roll but they weren’t going in,” McManus said.

The Lady Pirates had plenty of chances for goals during the regular season and made many of them count, as they racked up 76 scores. The 13-game regular-season winning streak was keyed by an offense that featured not only the No. 4 point-getter in Nassau and overall assist leader — senior All County stopper/midfielder Safi Ayinde, who totaled 12 goals and 15 assists —but also the No. 3 goal scorer in the county and Conference III-AA MVP, senior forward Jillian Picinich, who tallied 19 goals. Senior sweeper Sally Ayinde also earned All-County honors, and along with her sister, Safi, Picinich and senior All Conference forward Cristina Olson, provided far more than just points. “The four seniors were outstanding,” McManus said. “They were the best captains I’ve ever had and I attribute the success to them.”

And even though the senior co-captains dominated the stat sheet, Mepham had plenty of contributions from across the roster. Sophomore Ashley Appel scored 11 times on her way to All-Conference honors and often worked well with Simpson in the offensive zone. Freshman Emily Schmitt had an immediate impact, and jumped into the starting lineup with a strong leg was a huge asset to the offense. Schmitt and classmate Nadine Simpson, in her second season at the varsity level, also earned All-Conference honors. “They started out practicing on their own at the end of July,” McManus said. “From very early on they thought they’d be a contender. And as we started playing [so did] I.”

The Lady Pirates capped their perfect campaign in conference play (14-0) on Oct. 25, with a 7-0 victory over Carey that demonstrated exactly the type of balanced, yet explosive attack that defined the team. Six different players scored goals, led by Picinich who scored twice, and six players also tallied assists. “We were a powerhouse goal-wise,” McManus said.