By TONY BELLISSIMO
Valley Stream Central reached the Nassau Class A championship game, where it fell victim to nationally ranked South Side, and it has the potential to go just as far this time. The Lady Eagles have a new coach, Cristina Canle, and a roster loaded with seniors and juniors.
"I've worked with a lot of these same girls in lacrosse and they're a great bunch of athletes," Canle said. "The chemistry they have is terrific and they're determined to carry on the recent success the program has achieved."
There's talent and leadership to be found in all parts of the field. Central's defense could be its main strength with senior goalie Meghan Mannion working behind a group that includes senior stopper Tina Smoudianis, senior Kerry Sass, junior sweeper Carrie Gurowitz, and juniors Katie Goodwin and Amanda Presland.
Canle sees "a lot of players getting involved on offense." Senior Kerri Kelty excels up front but could also see action at midfield along with seniors Stephanie Bulko, Christine Gonzalez and Tania Rios, and junior Katie Rust. Junior Alyssa Fanno is another player the Lady Eagles will count on to score.
"We'll rely a lot on our transition game," said Canle, who makes her Conference I coaching debut this Friday, Sept. 13 at Garden City.
Valley Stream South hosts North this Friday at 4:30 p.m. in the Conference III opener for both teams. The Lady Falcons won the Long Island Class B title in 2000 and reached the county quarterfinals last season.
"We graduated a big group of veteran players and we're facing one of the most challenging schedules we've had in a long time," Coach Stephanie Fries said. "But I think we'll have a deep team and I think we'll be able to score."
Leading the offensive attack will be senior Bridget Amitrano and junior Ali Hertling. In the midfield, South features three seniors (Nicole Hutchinson, Danielle Barreto and Colleen Northcutt) and one freshman (Nicole Benko.)
If the forwards and midfielders produce as expected, it would take some of the pressure off senior goalkeeper Adriana Crescenzi and the defense. "Adriana's looked sharp in practice and she has a lot of experience," Fries said.
The back line is to be led by senior sweeper Krista Siedlick and sophomore stopper Jenna Hutchinson. Senior Jackie Slevinski and freshman Jill Moran are likely to start at fullback.
Aside from two games versus North, the highlight of South's schedule has to be a non-league night game at Farmingdale on Sept. 30.
Valley Stream North finished in last place in Conference II last fall but came to life in the playoffs with wins over Manhasset and Clarke. The Lady Spartans were eliminated by New Hyde Park in the semifinal round.
"We didn't have a great record last year but we played in a high conference and that prepared us well for the playoffs," Coach Mike Fraser said. "We'll be the underdogs again this year because we're pretty much a young team."
Five different grade levels are featured on North's roster. Senior captains Callie Viggiano, a forward, Liz Rini, a midfielder, and Kristin Greco, the backup goalie and forward, will be in leadership roles.
The defense needs to mesh quickly and has a solid foundation with junior Erica Kenny returning at goalkeeper. Sophomore Christie Graziano and eighth-grader Hannan Tauber start at sweeper and stopper, respectively. Juniors Jackie Cafasso and Amelia Leas and freshman Janine Volpe are part of the midfield/halfback group.
"We need to finish .500 or better to reach the playoffs," Fraser said, "and that's our goal."
Boys teams
Valley Stream South won the Nassau Class B boys soccer title two years ago and returned to the final in 2001 but lost a hard-fought game to Wheatley.
The Falcons are younger than they've been in recent years, but Coach Rich Boyd doesn't believe in rebuilding. So all things being equal, this team is likely to contend for a playoff berth despite its new look.
"Last year's team and this year's team have few similarities," Boyd said. "People might check out our roster and think that we're rebuilding, but we're going to try hard to not have that happen."
Another winning season for South hinges on it getting strong leadership from its seniors and having a few players to step up and lead the offense. Senior captains Matt Nolan and Jon Kaplan return at sweeper and midfield, respectively, and will be counted on to be the pacesetters. Sophomore forwards Alex Cortes and Sean Gillespie are coming off strong showings on JV and can put the ball in the net.
"Our JV went undefeated and we're looking for some of the guys we had down there to have an impact at the varsity level," Boyd said.
Senior goalkeeper Rob Ortiz returns and brings experience to a key position. Senior Dan Ortiz could play fullback or halfback, while juniors Anthony Dimino and Tom Cully are likely to bolster the midfield and defense.
"The scrimmages and non-league games are going to be important," Boyd said.
Spartan chemistry
Valley Stream North won nine games in Conference B-V and barely missed making the playoffs. The Spartans are young but figure to be right in the thick of things again.
"We don't have any seniors," Coach Walter Bachman said, "but I think we can still contend for first place."
The defense appears to be solid with junior All-Conference goalie Robert Young returning and junior Alfred Maranda serving as the reinforcement. The back line features juniors Brian Booth, Billy Miller and Andrew Burchett.
"We've got a good shot to be one of the top defensive teams in the conference," Bachman said.
Billy Boddy, Ari Bisk, Ryan Kaye and Ruben Rosales will spearhead the midfield and sophomore Chris Rivera is slated to start at forward.
"Only the winner of our conference makes the playoffs and that's what we're aiming to do," Bachman said. "It all depends on how fast we can get the chemistry going."
Eagles aim for conference win
Valley Stream Central took its lumps a year ago as it finished 2-8-2 in Conference A-III. But a turnaround season could be on the horizon, thanks to a clean slate and a new attitude.
"We bring back a number of kids that are going to be catalysts," Coach John Squadrito said. "They're self-motivated and they're working hard. The pressure is on if we want to make the playoffs because we'll need to win our conference to get there."
The Eagles are in Conference A-IV and could be a handful for their opponents if everything falls into place.
Scoring may no longer be a problem with Sean Johnsen, David LaPoma and William Bell on the front line. "The feeling is we'll be able to strike early and often," Squadrito said. "The offense could be what carries us."
Central has many interchangeable parts as well. Senior Jordan Lubeck will be at stopper and lead a defense that includes Joe Ferrandino, Robert Siragusa, John Begley and senior goalie Chris Kiefel. The midfield has senior Lou Tedesco and juniors Nick LaPoma and Frank Talio.
