Saint Anthony’s Girls Varsity Soccer was up and running on Sept. 21st! Fall season opened and soccer is one of the highlights for SA. This fall was not guaranteed and Covid was going to require guidelines if there was to be a season. Finally, there was word came that the Catholic School league would sanction some fall sports when Nassau and Suffolk choose not to. Captain Chiara Greco says she was very excited and thankful when she heard that they were having a season even if it was shorter than normal. It must have been a great feeling to find out that there was going to be a soccer season. The girls are more than thrilled to get a chance to play.
This year the girls are limited to play just 7 games. Normally they would play 15-20 games in a season plus leagues and states. Now it’s seven games plus the CHSAA Leagues. This year state championships were canceled. Greco mentions, “Even if it is unfortunate that we are unable to compete for a state title this year, winning the league championship is just as important to us. We are looking forward to making it to the finals and hoping to come out with another victory.” Even with a shortened season, Greco is correct about the importance of leagues. A win would give SA their 4th straight league title. No easy task for any soccer team to accomplish.
Everything is still up in the air, because of the rise or fall of COVID cases every day and it can determine if we stay in school or return to virtual learning with only a day’s notice. The most recent steps SA took precautions were on Nov. 9th and 10th where we had remote classes and no practice. Athletes hope for the best every day. Of course, there are a set of guidelines they must follow. A mask must be worn while they practice and play in games, but with high endurance sports athletes can remove the mask in order to allow for proper breathing during competition. It is new for everyone, but an adjustment worth doing. However, it was not a hard adjustment for the team. Greco says, “the hardest part was the beginning when they had to play with masks on. After a couple of games and practices, we got used to it, It’s normal now.”
This year’s returning seniors are Chiara Greco, Silvana Bartolotta, Samantha Bosch, Milan Carey, Annabella Cole, Brooke Davi, Natalie DeMasi, Gina Maucere, Alyssa Mirando, and Julia Ostermann. Last year, they were able to work together and win leagues and states. Returning as seniors, no matter how short or what games don’t get played, the feeling of getting to play was most important to them.
Greco notes, “it was important to get a team together as quickly as possible once the team was selected.” This year they would have to jump right into the season. Opening on September 21st taking three weeks to finalize varsity, JVA and JVB then play the first game on Oct. 14th can be a little shocking to the system. She said, “the important topic for the team was to develop chemistry and style of play before they went into their first game.”
Their season is going very well. Their first game against Sacred Heart Academy Saint Anthony’s won 3-2 against their top rivals. They won their next couple of games, which eventually brought them to senior day on the 28th of October. They won against St. Francis Prep 5-0. Their win 7-0 against St. John The Baptist secured their first place position for playoffs, which meant they went undefeated in the league this year. SA has girls on top of the leaderboard for the CHSAA and independent private schools that are also playing in our region. Emily Riggins comes in second with 11 points, 5 goals and 6 assists. In the third and fourth place is Olivia Perez and Ava Nielsen. Olivia has 10 points with 6 goals and 4 assists. Ava Nielsen has 8 points with 2 goals and 6 assists. Goalies Annabella Cole and Samantha Bosch are both tied with 14 saves.
The Friars will play St. John The Baptist on Wed. November 11th at 4:15 pm in the SemiFinals. The final game is on the 14th at 10:30 AM at Saint Anthony’s High School. You can watch the games on Locallive.tv and rewatch past games. Let’s come together to support our Friars so they can win another league title!
Kenia Viri is a sophomore at St. Anthony’s, writing for her second year at Friar Scoreboard. She is also a member of Saint Anthony’s softball and track team. In the future she plans to pursue a career in fashion and journalism.
