By TONY BELLISSIMO
Thirteen players return to lead the Kennedy High School girls soccer team into unfamiliar territory. The Lady Cougars, who went 11-0-1 to win Conference V a year ago, move up in conference and will take on teams such as Great Neck South, Plainview, Lynbrook, Farmingdale, Port Washington and MacArthur.
"We're coming off a nice season and now we'll see what we can do against teams we haven't faced in a long time," Kennedy coach Frank Ferrara said. "I'm confident that our experience will allow us to be competitive."
Senior All-Class forward Fara Kitton netted 14 goals in 1999 and will be counted on to spark the offense along with 10-goal scorer Erica Berman, a sophomore. Also up front will be senior Renee Fisher and junior Lauren Kuncewitch.
Junior All-Division center-halfback Jamie Breman is a consistent playmaker who sees the field well. The midfield appears to be solid with seniors Marisa Brickman, Lauren Deere and Erin Tannenbaum back in the fold.
"We have experience back in all areas," Ferrara said. "Making the playoffs is going to be a challenge. We need to finish with at least a .500 record."
Heading the defense in front of junior goalkeeper Stefanie Gillman will be junior All-Division sweeper Dana Corben, and a trio of seniors: Lisa Abrams, Danielle Gillespie and Allison Banhazl.
The Lady Cougars open at Great Neck South on September 13.
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Like Kennedy, Calhoun has plenty of experience as it readies for Conference II play. The Lady Colts beat Lawrence in the first round of last year's playoffs but ran into South Side in the quarterfinals.
"Inconsistency was the only problem we had last year," Coach Peter Ruisi said. "We have a lot of seniors and high expectations. The corps of this team has been together for four years and we feel we'll be able to win our share of games."
Senior captains Kaitlin Jaxheimer and Samantha Meaney will be used at either forward or halfback. Chances are, they will not play at the same position at the same time. Senior Kelly Fabian is penciled in at one halfback spot. Seniors Lindsay Levinthal and Colleen Loftus bring leadership to the front line.
"In all likelihood, we'll have one of them up front and the other at halfback," Ruisi said of Jaxheimer and Meaney. "I'm not sure who will be where just yet."
Seniors Kristen Allen and Jessica Cohen are back to lead the defense. Versatile senior Natalie Friedman may also be asked to help keep opposing forwards from doing damage.
"We have great balance," Ruisi said. "My job is to get everything to mesh. That's one of the hardest things to do."
The Lady Colts take on Plainedge in a non-conference game on September 8.
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Mepham lost only three games a year ago, but fell short of winning its conference and advancing to the playoffs. The Lady Pirates are expected to contend for the top spot in what promises to be a competitive league.
"The nice thing about ability grouping is that the conference is always competitive," Coach Jim McManus said. "I have no idea what to expect. We could start as many as five freshmen."
Sophomore All-County sweeper Jen Yager is the backbone of the Mepham defense. Senior fullback Stephanie Sabella also returns. The pair provides a good foundation in front of goalkeeper Sara Giamo.
"I think we'll be able to hold our own defensively," McManus said. "We're going to have to wait and see who can put the ball in the net. We had balanced scoring last year. It was always someone different coming through for us. Hopefully we can get the same kind of balance."
Senior center halfback Catherine Smith, Kate Gardner and Kerri Kornobis are three players who could step up in the attacking zone.
Mepham travels to face Oyster Bay on September 14.
