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Soccer has become one of the more popular scholastic sports, but it isn’t just the guys having fun on the pitch. Here’s a look at what to expect in 2008 from the girls soccer teams in our coverage area.
Arlington
Arlington coach Kieran McIlvenny is off to a flying 3-1 start. That’s a good thing for a coach taking over a program that has had its share of success in the past.
“We have a young team that’s very willing to work on their skills and is open to coaching suggestions,” said McIlvenny. “But winning isn’t foremost to me. My goal is helping students develop as both players and people.”
McIlvenny said that being a new coach makes 2008 a year of adjustment and transition for everyone.
“It’s a learning year for myself and the kids,” he said. “The most important thing is that I get them to compete in a strong manner.”
McIlvenny views his team as particularly strong on defense. Early injuries to a couple of key forwards have slowed the Admirals’ offensive attack
“We’re juggling things around right now,” he said. “We’re trying to find the right mix.”
The Admirals will be led by senior captains Lindy Sefcik (defender) and Nikki O’Dell (midfielder). The team will also be fortified by juniors Aislinn McIlvenny (defender), Valerie Nelson (goalie) and Shannon Stoll (midfielder). Sophomore Emily Eastman (forward) and freshmen Danielle Axelrod (midfielder) and Amanda Tarpey (forward) will also be in the mix.
FDR
After his team struggled through a lackluster campaign in 2007, Dan Hassoun sees brighter things ahead for the Presidents in 2008.
“We’ve got some skilled players who are playing in a very unified way,” said Hassoun. “This isn’t like previous years when we had some strong players who didn’t always play together. Now, whether we win or lose, it’s the way they play that’s important.”
The Presdients began the year with a 2-2 mark, including a comeback, season-opening win against New Paltz.
“We’ve shown crisp passing and a lot of positive communication on the field,” said Hassoun. “They don’t need to be reminded of how to play (the right way). They do everything on their own.”
Hassoun sees his team as a balanced squad that tilts slightly more toward the offensive end of the field. And though last year’s team finished only 5-9, it was an improvement over the previous season, a trend Hassoun hopes continues.
“As long as we keep on (improving), I’ll be pleased,” he said. “That’s certainly something we want to shoot for. If you don’t have goals, you don’t know where you’re heading.”
The Presidents will be led by senior captains Kristilee Hedrick (midfielder), Colleen Mayerhofer (defender) and Tia Germano (defender). Sophomores Martika Hubbard (midfielder), Kate Drop (forward) and Lauren Broadright (forward) should also contribute.
“There’s a real aura of camaraderie with this group,” said Hassoun. “They’re a joy to work with.”
Ketcham
Ketcham’s 9-7 record last year was nice. But Chris Calimano is convinced 2008 should be even better.
“We’ll definitely improve on last year,” said Calimano, whose team began the season with two wins against New Rochelle and Clarkstown North. “We’ve worked on some new things and changed the lineup and some personnel. We definitely have the talent. Now it depends on the kids’ commitment and how far they want to go.”
Calimano, now in his third year as the head of the Indian girls, is old-school in his approach to coaching.
“I expect (the kids) to be committed to the whole team effort,” he said. “I don’t care for selfish play. They need to learn how to work together and communicate effectively. If we do those things, it will make us that much more dangerous.”
Calimano doesn’t set won-loss goals, but wants his team to strive for creativity and versatility on the field in order to compete with the traditional powers.
Calimano cited seniors Emily Rokitowski (defender), Melissa Mahoney (midfielder) and Sarah Domber (forward) along with junior Rachel Cerrone (midfielder) as big contributors to this year’s Indians.
Poughkeepsie
The Pioneers finished 7-7-2 last season, Poughkeepsie’s best finish in coach John Petacchi’s seven years as head coach. But wins and losses aren’t Petacchi’s focus.
“I don’t worry about records,” he said of his team, which split its first two games. “I know we’re not going to Sectionals. This is more about kids working hard and displaying sportsmanship. But if I were interested in records, I think we can certainly improve and get over .500.”
Petacchi doesn’t see his job as strictly that of a sports coach and strives to inspire his kids to achieve away from the field as well.
“I tell every team I coach the same thing,” he said. “I don’t care about the score or the record. Those things will take care of themselves. This game is about respecting yourself, your teammates, showing sportsmanship and never quitting. If they do those things, they’ll be successful as human beings also.”
Petacchi will be relying on senior captains Tylie Wilks (various positions) and Karla Rodriguez (defender) to lead his squad. He called sophomore forward Kelsey Rowa his “most skilled player.” Petacchi is also excited about eighth grader Adriana Williams (forward), freshman Ty’kara Denny (goalkeeper) and junior Tiana West (defender).
Spackenkill
Spackenkill’s Mike Corbett has seen a lot of good soccer. But last year’s Spartans – who finished 15-3-1 and lost in the Sectional semifinals – were among the best teams of Corbett’s 12-year tenure. And he expects even better things to come.
“We were able to fill some key positions where we lost girls,” said Corbett, whose team won two of its first three games in 2008. “I think we’ll absolutely improve.”
Corbett is most proud of the fact that his teams are represented by intelligence (the Lady Spartans were designated as one of the state’s Scholar-Athlete teams in 2006) and sportsmanship (Corbett has only received one yellow card over the last two seasons).
Corbett thinks that while last year’s team was defense-heavy, this year’s squad is more balanced. He pointed to Wednesday’s game against perennial power Highland (after the Beat’s press time) as a barometer for his girls.
“Last year they beat us twice in two very tough games,” said Corbett. “They are always one of the strongest teams in the MHAL.”
Corbett will be counting on senior captains Megan Nizza (midfielder) and Emily Burnham (sweeper) as well as sophomore captain Shaylee Hownaiec (midfielder) to lead the Spartans. Leading scorer Lexy Fraser (a senior forward) heads a potent attack.
“I told the girls I’m not cutting my hair until we win sectionals,” added Corbett. “It’s getting pretty long, but I think we have a shot.”
The Roy C. Ketcham girls varsity soccer team came out strong against non-league foe East Ramapo on Sept. 15, shutting out the Gryphons 10-0, and the Indians, coached by Chris Calimano, aren’t just scoring goals this season – they’re also setting them and attaining them game by game.
“I think we played well. The fact they picked up the ball and distributed it as fast as they needed to was great,” said Calimano.
He was right.
Within the first six minutes, Ketcham sophomore forward Maddisen Melley and senior midfielder Melissa Mahoney were on the same page, as the pair swarmed past East Ramapo defenders, ending with a Melley pass to Mahoney, who drove in a shot over the East Ramapo goalie.
Nearly two minutes later, Ketcham junior midfielder Rachel Cerrone glided down the field before dishing to Mahoney, who scored again to make it 2-0.
Mahoney scored again twice to make it 4-0 before senior Sara Domber notched a goal to make it 5-0 before halftime.
Three minutes into the second half, junior midfielder Niki Smith scored off a corner kick from Cerrone to make it 6-0, Ketcham.
Halfway into the second half, an East Ramapo defender kicked the ball back to her goalie to handle, but the goalie wasn’t expecting it, and the ball accidentally went into the goal for a Ketcham tally.
With around seven minutes left in regulation, Domber and sophomore Christina Ogunti teamed up for a score. Domber came back again to help out Melley, who laced a shot into the top corner of the net for the final score.
Top of their games
Calimano emphasized areas where he’s coached his girls the fundamentals to take with them from each game.
“Our goals were to play good defense and communicate. We want to be a little more creative offensively, which I think we did well today. We had a lot of overlapping runs. We took various shots from outside, inside, so I was very happy with that. Every game we have to improve our touch.”
Players agree.
“Our defense is pretty strong. We’re working on working it through the middle. Really right now we just have to focus on finishing, but I think our ball movement is improving,” said senior center midfielder Emily Rokitowski, who has played for Ketcham all four years.
Jim Melley, cameraman for the afternoon game and father of sophomore forward Maddisen and senior defensive player Makenzie, said the team is playing well. His two daughters have soccer in their blood. Maddisen played for Ketcham since she was an eighth-grader, while Makenzie has been playing all four years for the lady Indians.
Ketcham’s opponent wasn’t at the same level of competition, according to East Ramapo head coach Dave Sachs, who said the game was a learning experience nonetheless.
“We’re in an entirely different program than a number of schools in Dutchess,” said Sachs. “We have a lot of newcomers, we have a lot of 12th graders that never played before who came out for the first time.”
Sachs, who said he doesn’t cut players who tryout for his team, went on to say he has a lot of freshmen this year, noting some who are starting to play on travel teams outside of school. Sachs added he doesn’t feel his team should be playing teams such as John Jay, Ketcham and Carmel, but feels it’s necessary to build his girls up.
“If they are not exposed to what soccer is like, they’ll never understand what they have to do to get to that level,” Sachs said.
East Ramapo’s record fell to 1-2, while Ketcham improved to 3-1. Ketcham’s next home game is Tuesday, Sept. 23 vs. league rival John Jay-East Fishkill at 4:30 p.m.
