By STEVE SINISKI
In fact, first-year coach Becky Wachsberger, a former All-American goalkeeper for East Meadow, and standout at Hofstra University was keeping her own game sharp with the Long Island Fury and also honing her coaching skills with Freeport¹s JV team.
And it took all of two games for the Lady Rams (1-1 overall) to break through in the win column. Clarke defeated Lawrence, 2-0, last Thursday, behind a pair of goals from freshman Karin Simonian, just two days after suffering a heartbreaking, 2-1 defeat to North Shore in the final minute of the Conference A-III opener.
³After the first goal the girls got their confidence,² Wachsberger said of the win over the Golden Tornadoes.
Simonian opened the scoring with a goal at the 20-minute mark of the first half and sealed the victory by scoring her third goal in two games with just 15 seconds to play. The freshman midfielder has made a big splash after seeing limited action on the varsity level late last year and appears to be the centerpiece of the 2007 offense.
³She¹s a midfielder who pushes,² Wachsberger said. ³Everyone [in the County] is curious to see who she is. She has excellent foot skill and can hit the ball on direct kicks. You hate to play against her but love to have her on your team.²
Though only a freshman, Simonian has already logged time on an under-14 travel team at the national level and even seen action with the Long Island Fury along with Wachsberger. Sophomore Danielle Dunn is lining up with Simonian at midfield and junior forward Michelle Schwartz, who scored a goal in a recent scrimmage, is expected to play a big role on offense.
It should come as no surprise that defense will be the focal point for the Lady Rams, given the position Wachsberger plays, and they have a solid goalkeeper of their own in senior Dana Dunwoody. She stopped all six shots in the win over Lawrence and is an athletic player as the last line of defense. ³The keeper controls everything,² Wachsberger said. ³Having experience and people around you with confidence [in your ability] is important.²
Kelly Fay is primarily an outside back, though she¹s also giving a boost to the midfield with energetic play. She¹s joined on defense by Michela Abbatiello, a converted forward, and Sarah Alio. ³[Kelly Fay] talks well and communicates,² Wachsberger said. ³She¹s become the leader of the team and stepped up.²
Kalynn Smith, Jennifer Neidle and Margarita Canas are among a number of players expected to contribute.
The Lady Rams visit Division on Thursday at 4:45 p.m. They host Oyster Bay on Saturday at 10 a.m.
Comments about this story? tbellissimo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 204.
