Fall Sports Preview: Girls Soccer

Even though his team blanked East Haven 2-0 in its season opener earlier this week, Amity girls soccer Coach Owen Quigley begins his 10^th year still not convinced it has the scoring punch it needs to be successful this fall.

He said, “We have all our key players back from last year and I think we are capable of being very good this year.  We were 14-5-1 last year but we can and should do better this year because we have an added year of experience. We also capable of playing an up speed game, which makes us tough to handle. Our team has no problem moving the ball upfield. Finishing is our problem. Our key to success is our ability to score goals. We have people who can score, but they have to do it. We have to rectify that problem very quickly.”

The Lady Spartans will start only two seniors but of the nine underclass starters, seven saw a lot of action last year. The 2011 Lady Spartans are led by senior Co-Captains Tabitha Brown, C.J. Semones, and Sarah Tashea along with junior Maeghan Howard. They new faces are freshman Zoie Reed in goal and sophomore Cassie Giza.

Tara Ramierez, Semones, and a defensive back yet to be named will start in front of Reed. Howard, junior Maddie Dellert, and Dakota Kelly are sure bet midfield starters.  Quigley insisted that the remainder of his starting line up is still up in the air, but he also notes that Allison Maier is quite likely to see a lot of action as she is the team’s top returning scorer.

Quigley added, “We have a golden opportunity to achieve the goals we have set for ourselves. That list includes: win the Housatonic Division and the Southern Connecticut Conference championships and then go deep into the state tournament. Last year was a rebuilding year and we won 14 games. With our overall team experience, I think we can do better this year, but we have to work hard to achieve those goals. We do play well together and have shown a willingness and desire to help each other be successful.”

In the Lady Spartans’ 2-0 past East Haven, Maier and Brown  each scored a goal and Reed recorded 3 saves.

Quigley sees Shelton, Cheshire, and Amity once again battling it out for the Housy title--with Shelton perhaps having the inside track as it has one of the state's most prolific scorers, but also noted that Cheshire may have the best 1-2 offensive punch in the Conference. Turning to the SCC, he pointed to the three aforementioned teams along with Hamden being the cream of the crop.   

Amity visits Jonathan Law Monday at 5:30 p.m.