By Andrew Coen
The Lady Rams return eight starters from last year's playoff team that fell to eventual state Class A champion South Side in the quarterfinals, but they're young with only four seniors. Some of the youngsters came through against Sewanhaka, with eighth-grader Olivia Czavar scoring two goals and freshman Ashley Merrill scoring her first varsity goal. Hayley Bifulco also had two goals and an assist in the shutout win, which the Rams led 5-0 at halftime.
The victory gave West Hempstead a 2-0 record after a 5-0 triumph over Manhasset on Sept. 8. The Lady Rams went 10-4-2 a year ago and reached the playoffs, defeating Bethpage in the first round before running into South Side.
West Hempstead coach Mike Scaturro thinks if the Lady Rams can once again reach the postseason, they have the talent to go deep. "We just want to get to the playoffs and take it from there," he said.
One weapon the Lady Rams have is a rock solid goalkeeper in senior Kristyn Sandberg, an All-Conference selection last season who already has two shutouts in 2007. Scaturro considers Sandberg one of the top goalies and athletes in county.
Some of West Hempstead's offensive standouts include junior midfielder Natasha Arana and junior forward Michelle Delace. Arana, who scored a goal in both wins, earned All-Conference accolades last fall after leading the team with 10 goals. Delace tallied twice against Manhasset.
Defensive leaders Jenna D'Alessandro and Heather Cagno are also senior captains, and Scaturro is counting on them to provide leadership both on and off the field. D'Alessandro was an All-Class winner in 2006 and has aspirations to continue her soccer career in college. Cagno quickly adjusted to the sport after running cross country her first two years at West Hempstead, according to Scaturro. D'Alessandro and Cagno fit in nicely with the coach's strong defensive scheme for the Lady Rams, priding themselves on being in better physical condition than their opponents. "They are both very good leaders," he said of his captains. "They lead by example."
Scaturro does not expect a potential county title to come easy, but a playoff bid and a few breaks in the postseason can lead to a magical autumn run. "As long as we make it to the playoffs, I think we can make a run at this thing," he said.
West Hempstead has four Conference A-II games in a six-day span beginning Monday at home against Jericho at 4:30 p.m.
Comments about this story? tbellissimo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 204.
