The Freeport girls’ soccer team is nearing the completion of first-year coach Lauren Gates-McGee’ first season ahead of schedule in her quest to build a competitive program that can consistently compete for playoff spots.
The Red Devils entered the week 7-1-2 in Conference V with a young team making big strides since preseason practices commenced in August. The wins have been piling up despite graduating 12 seniors with a number of underclassmen stepping into various roles on the pitch.
“I I have a couple of sophomores and freshmen that are just super flexible where I can stick them in any spot where we have a need whether we have an injury or we're trying out a different formation,” said Gates-McGee, a former women’s college soccer player at SUNY Oneonta who was an assistant coach last season. “Having those versatile players have been invaluable to us this season.”
Freeport ended a successful month of September with a 3-1 win against Westbury Sept. 30 that featured goals by eighth grader midfielders Khloe Salcedo and Wendy Villeda and freshman forward Jerelyn Arevalo.
The Westbury win came three days after a 1-1 tie with Malverne-East Rockaway in which Salcedo gave Freeport a point by striking for the tying goal midway through the second half. Gates-McGee said the comeback effort underscored the improvement her team has shown since another 1-1 with Malverne-East Rockaway on Sept. 4 in which the Mules missed a late penalty kick that would have resulted in a loss for the Red Devils.
“We tied in our first game with them by the skin of our teeth and I think the growth has been super evident from that first game to this game,” Gates-McGee said.
The Freeport offense has been explosive throughout the season led by 14 goals and six assists from Arevalo. The eighth-grade duo of Salcedo and Villeda have also played like veterans generating scoring chances from the midfield.
The defense has shined this fall holding opponents to a goal or less in eight matches led by senior captain Ava Smith. “She's been the rock and foundation of our team for quite some time,” said Gates-McGee of Smith.
Freeport visits Hempstead this Thursday for a 5 p.m. match before hosting Valley Stream Central on Saturday at 10 a.m. The season will then conclude with road matches at Roosevelt on Tuesday and at Uniondale on Oct. 16.
While unbeaten Valley Stream Central has the lone playoff spot locked up in Conference V, Gates-McGee is excited to see how her team looks the second time around against the league’s top team who handed Freeport its lone loss, 5-1 on Sept. 15 in a match that ultimately bonded the team closer together as one unit.
“That Valley Stream game was a turning point for us because we realized we hadn't built the necessary bridges for each other,” said Gates-McGee, who leads the team with first-year assistant coach Sarah Campbell. “When we come up against adversity both on and off the pitch we're able to come together and lift each other.”
