Thursday, October 1, 2026
The MacArthur girls’ soccer team punched its ticket to the Nassau County Class AA semifinals with a commanding performance from multiple contributors.
The third-seeded Generals knocked off Bethpage 4-1 last Friday led by two goals from junior striker Ysabelle Perillo. The convincing win also featured corner kick goals from Gina Iannuzzi and Bella Calabro that were serviced by Caitlin Barry.
Calabro opened the scoring with a header off a corner kick from Barry midway through the first half followed shortly after by Perillo finding the corner of the net for a 2-0 lead. Perillo, who early on the season was playing central midfield due to injuries, has thrived at the forward spot with her second consecutive multi-goal game.
“She is a great athlete,” said third-year MacArthur coach Steve Costello of Perillo, who also had two goals in the Generals’ 3-1 first round playoff win against East Meadow on Oct. 22. “Since she has been settling in at striker where she should be she has been playing really fantastic.”
Iannuzzi gave MacArthur further breathing room in the second half by heading in another corner kick from Calabro. Perillo then made it 4-0 off an assist from Mia Rodriguez from the left wing.
The win marked MacArthur’s sixth in seven matches with the Generals striking for 19 goals during the run. Costello said midfielders Amanda Lora and Alexa Coppola with setting up many of the scores by controlling possession on 50-50 balls away from the goal.
The defense has also shined during the Generals recent winning stretch led by Barry, a four-year starter in the backline. She has led a unit that has featured many newcomers this season including sophomore Abigail Zazulka along with Nikki Magnozzi and Iannuzzi, who both switched positions earlier in the season due to injuries. Sophomore center Gianna Winkler is working her way back from injury and played around 10 minutes against Bethpage.
Senior goalie Jocelyn Cleary has stood strong in her second season patrolling the net and recorded seven saves in the quarterfinal victory.
“In her two years as a starter she really only given up one soft goal,” said Costello of his netminder. “She has been really solid back there.”
The Bethpage win set up a semifinal match against longtime defending AA champion South Side, who the Generals lost twice to this season by 2-1 and 2-0 scores. It marks the second straight season the local rivals have met on the semifinal stage with the Trojans edging MacArthur 1-0 last year.
A win against second-seeded Garden City would advance MacArthur to the county finals on Friday evening against the winner of the other semifinal contest between top-seeded Garden City and fourth-seeded Calhoun. The Generals are seeking their second county crown in three seasons in the face of very stiff competition
“The bottom line is South Side, MacArthur and Garden City are probably among the five best teams in the state, “ Costello said. “Getting off the island is hard with those other teams but that's the task ahead of us.”
