There’s no way to put this delicately: the Valley Stream Central girls soccer squad is off to a strong start. 3-1-2 in the opening half dozen games, coach Steve Sharkey has no reason to be anything short of pleased with what he’s seeing on the pitch.
The Eagles were flying again last Friday and defeated Sewanhaka, 3-1. In the effort, Joeyce Forero found the back of the net twice and Jaylene Fajardo put up a goal as well. Starting goalie, sophomore Jaya Medina, had 3 saves and allowed none; alternate goalie Rita Teehan posted 2 saves.
“The offense really runs through [Forero], but she plays two-way soccer; she’s both an offensive and a defensive superstar,” Sharkey said. “Medina was JV last year, and in the off season she’s worked harder than anybody. She’s doing private goalie lessons, she’s on a couple of different teams, she has been the glue that has kept it all together she is phenomenal back there.”
The recent win sweetens a tough stretch that the Eagles have had recently, coming off a 1-1 tie against Hicksville Sept. 14, and a tough 3-1 loss against Glen Cove two days later. Sharkey said that the schedule seems to get lighter as they move forward with the season, so he is optimistic about future results, in accordance with what he has already seen his athletes do.
Sharkey credits the team’s recent successes to the fact that Medina’s confidence between the pipes is growing as the season progresses. Despite the loss against Glen Cove, Medina notched 16 saves in the effort. For the season, she has 38.
“I’ve seen the confidence grow from game one to game six,” Sharkey said. “She came in, she was good, we knew she was good, we’ve seen her clinic work and we saw her off-season, and she doesn’t show any fear out there.”
The meat of the team is in the back half of the pitch, on the defensive half. Sharkey prefers it that way, in fact.
“We always lead with defense,” he said. “I always say that we start from the back and work our way up. Since I played the game and since I started coaching the game, I’ve always preached defense. Defense, defense, defense, defense. Our defense is by far our strength.”
Sharkey listed senior Faith Russell, an outside back, as one of the Eagles’ most gifted players defensively. Adroitly to her is sophomore Katelynn Cordova, who the coach positioned as the sweeper, a position rarely used these days. The two work wonders for Sharkey, he said, clearing away as many loose balls as they can get their hands on to make the goalie’s job easier.
“[Cordova] is phenomenal back there, she’s really the force that drives the back,” he said. “Katelynn is one of the most determined [players], she’s going to win every 50/50 header.”
Added into the mix are also sophomore Isabella Contreras and freshman Abby Cardinal, clogging up anyone’s chances to make it to the goalie.
Combined, the defense is a well-oiled machine that feeds the ball up the field when ready. So far, it’s a winning strategy for Sharkey.
Central visits Westbury this Saturday at 10 a.m.
