By STEVE SINISKI
"She¹s got height, skills and speed," Clarke coach Warren Knecht said of Dolan. "She scored a lot for us on headers [last year] and has a great shot. She¹s also a great defender."
The weight of the team currently falls on the shoulders of midfielder Kendra Raskopf and sweeper Toby Klein. "Kendra is extremely aggressive and distributes the ball well," Knecht said. "She wins 90 percent of our 50-50 balls. "Toby could play forward but because of injuries we needed someone on defense."
Vanessa Berrios and Nicole Brennan have developed into excellent outside marking backs, with Brennan even developing a knack for well-timed slide tackles. "She leaves her heart out on the field," Knecht said of the hard-working Brennan.
The outside backs hope to keep the heat off returning goaltender Marion Livermore, whose game has improved more than any other Lady Ram except for Raskopf since the end of 2004. "We¹re going to look to her to make big saves," Knecht said. "She has a nice punt and the [playoff] experience she had helped her."
Of the 11-player roster, forward ranks as the deepest unit. Along with co-captains Katie Walsh and Nicky Peterson, Clarke trots out Carrisa Giallo and a pair of freshmen (Kelly Fay and Michelle Hartman) on the scoring line as well. Walsh adds to the offense because of her strong-legged free kicks. She¹s already had a scoring blast on a 40-yard free kick called back. Like Walsh, Peterson¹s accuracy should help her rack up plenty of opportunities in front of the net. Giallo, Kelly and Hartman all combine aggressive play with speed, a combination the Lady Rams hope will translate into consistent offense.
Sophomore midfielder Michelle Schwartz played her way into a starting role and has no shortage of teammates to set up on the offensive side of the field. Her field vision and soccer smarts are an invaluable asset.
Currently in the middle of a four-game road trip, the Lady Jets will travel to Herricks (Sept. 23, 4:30 p.m.), Valley Stream Central (Sept. 24, 10:30 a.m.) and New Hyde Park (Sept. 27, 4:15 p.m.) this week.
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