By Steve Siniski
Enter Julie Darnulc. A field player with no goaltending experience, she volunteered to step between the posts for Baldwin (2-2 overall, 1-1 in Conference II) and played a key role in a 1-0 overtime win against Oceanside on Sept. 20. The sophomore turned back 11 shots for her first varsity shutout.
"She sacrificed and stepped up," Burton said. "She's fearless and shown that on and off the field."
Kate-lyn Corinno scored the decisive goal at the 7:32 mark of overtime by converting a header off of Amanda Rittenmeyer's corner
kick into the game's only goal.
Darnulc kicked off her varsity experience in net on Sept. 18, helping lead Baldwin to a 2-1 victory over Valley Stream Central with 10 stops. Olivia Antonopolous tallied both goals and has been the No.
1 offensive force so far. The freshman leads the way with four goals and accounted for all but one of the team's first five goals.
"She has the will to score and is a natural scorer," Burton said.
Injuries to Ashley Kilcommons and Kelly Canham have stunted the growth of the offense, but the emergence of Antonopolous will make for a deeper unit in the long run, and one that's more difficult to defend. Heading into a showdown with unbeaten Island Trees last Monday, Baldwin was hoping to have Stephanie Vega back in goal and was continuing to fine-tune a new defensive wrinkle that has caught a large number of opponents out of position. The use of an off-sides trap resulted in 43 off-sides calls through four games, allowing for more possession time and consequently, better control of a game's tempo. "When we get the ball we push it strong," Burton said. "We're catching a lot of forwards napping getting back. The defense is coming along great with the off-sides trap. I thought it would take more time [for the team] to learn it."
The play of Kerri Anne Deignan and Kelly O'Connor has been key to a defense that's allowed just one goal during the two-game winning streak. O'Connor starts out at midfield where she helps the offense gain an edge. When the Lady Bruins are able to gain a lead, Burton has moved her back to the defensive side of the field.
Always a fan of having a deep team, Burton was able to utilize all 24 players on the roster in each of the first four games.
"It says something that we can play every girl and do pretty well," he said.
Baldwin returns home to face Plainedge on September 28 at 4:30 p.m. followed by a visit from Valley Stream South on October 3 (4:30 p.m.).
"Every game's been a nail-biter," Burton said of each of the first four games decided by just one goal. "The girls are working hard and the conference is wide open."
