After a 5-6-6 overall mark in 2024, which included a gritty playoff performance, Mepham girls’ soccer is rolling with a similar but revamped crew to build on, mostly in its own zone.
The back row is a carbon copy of last year: defenders Ava Parisi, Kaitlyn Tansey, and Anna Kaplun in front of senior goalkeeper Lia DiPreta. The new addition to the defensive line is Molly Trnka, who stood out to coach Janine Bizelia during tryouts.
“She really impressed us at tryouts, we’re looking to replenish the backline a little bit,” Bizelia said. “She might start in the back line as a left-back, which would be nice to see.”
What’s versatile about the Pirates is the likes of Tansey and Kaplun can move up to the defensive midfielder role if game plan calls for it. The rest of the midfield consists of Gabriella Caminiti, Stephaie Okolie, Addison Iemma and Victoria Olson, all kids Bizelia said have regularly wreaked havoc for opponents.
“[Caminiti is] a big, strong senior player for us, gets a lot of assists and causes a lot of dangerous havoc in the midfield or up top,” Bizelia said. “Okolie, she’s a returner, plays on the left side, more up top, super fast and helpful. Olson, probably the fastest one on the team and can be the most dangerous when we need her to be.”
One standout on the midfield is Katlyn Kestenbaum, a senior who holds down the center. While Bizelia admitted Kestenbaum didn’t clock the most minutes, she did come up clutch in playoffs, as a sign of the player she’s growing into. “She scored a game-winning penalty kick,” Bizelia said. “She’s grown a lot, hopefully we can get her more minutes.”
There’s room for growth in the midfield if a young group blooms, consisting of Devyn Marr, Kylie Tannus and Gabriella Dvoskin. If they need a hand, they’ll have teammates Bianca Mayo and Taylor Almona to lean on, regular flank pieces that typically go from midfield and up.
In earnest, Bizelia has her eyes out for the newest recruits.
“I think when you have a lot of young talent, they’re just eager to go and they give you so much energy you’d be surprised what they can do,” she explained. “On the flip side, they’re young and may not be ready for it, but they’re going to play with nerves, they’re 14,15 year olds playing against 17,18 year olds so it’s a lot and a challenge for them.”
There’s also the off-the-pitch contributions that players have, like Mayo, who has a rap for being the team mom.
“She’s always just looking out for everyone like who doesn’t have sunblock on, who didn’t bring their water, who didn’t get enough sleep,” Bizelia said. “She’s just always looking out for everybody and checking in and making sure everyone is working hard. She’s just a great kid.”
There’s the returners, who shoulder most of the responsibilities to have the team jell, and have done so successfully.
“[Returners] have been great, honestly they’re such a great group of seniors, and even the returning sophomore and junior girls, as far as being [a] team, including girls and gelling together, already they’ve been doing a good job,” Bizelia said. “This is probably the most, as far as I’ve seen, team atmosphere I’ve seen in a long time, which is great to see.”
