On October 29, 2016, Sacred Heart Academy dished out a devastating defeat to Saint Anthony’s in
the league championship at Adelphi University. The Friars were ousted 1-0 in a nail-biter, which put
a halt to their championship run. It was the Friars’ only loss on the season.
Although the season’s ending did not go according to plan, the defeat at Adelphi doesn’t
take away anything from such an amazing season. The Friars finished with an outstanding record of
15-1 (14-0 in season play). This year’s captains were Francesca Picicci, Sam Roth, and Jaclyn Louro
who led the team to a near perfect season.
On offense the Friars were led by forward Sabrina Cristodero and attacking center midfield
Francesca Picicci with 17 and 11 goals respectively. Brianna Passaro heavily contributed as well with
7 goals. The three of them finished in the top-10 in the league in goals scored. The Friars are just as
respectable on defense as they are up front. Defenders Stephanie Darrell and Katrina Etts only
allowed 5 goals in the regular season. “This team is very solid in every position and is very deep off
the bench” said Coach Alber.
The Friars beat Kellenberg in the semifinals by a score of 5-3. Francesca Picicci had two
goals, Sam Roth, Brianna Passaro and Stephanie Darrell each had a goal.
The highlight of the season, and quite frankly the “turning point” was when the Friars beat
Immaculate Heart Academy 1-0. Coach Alber later stated, “It was my proudest moment as a coach
at Saint Anthony’s.” “They represented the Friars well”.
After the championship game Coach Alber said “It was not the ending anyone from Saint
Anthony’s wanted but [the loss] cannot take away from the incredible season we had…” “I couldn’t
be more proud of the girls and every single senior who have helped Saint Anthony’s win two state
championships in the past three years they were on the team. Hopefully the defeat to Sacred Heart
Academy in the finals will motivate next year’s team, who is left with 9 players, to make a run for
state again.” The Friars had defeated Sacred Heart Academy both times they played each other in
the regular season—which made the loss even more surprising. The team has all the right
ingredients to get back to their championship reign. Coach Alber’s leadership and the team’s talent
can produce a scary team that has the ability to dominate the CHSAA.
Article written by: Gregory Law
Greg is a sophomore at Saint Anthony’s High School and has been a part of the Friar Scoreboard since 2015. He is a member of the Golf team and is a Student Council Class Representative.
