Girls Soccer is Playoff Bound

The Garden City girls soccer team has stepped up to the challenge of a tough schedule and put together a nice follow-up to their 2010 championship.

They have successfully completed the first stage of their season with a 6-2-4 conference record, giving them a third place finish in the top division in Nassau County and a high seed for the playoffs.

The girls closed out their season with a flurry – going undefeated in the last six games with four wins and two ties. This past week, the Lady Trojans defeated South Side and New Hyde Park by similar 2-1 scores and tied undefeated conference champ Division Avenue by a 1-1 score.

The only two blemishes on the Garden City record are two early season losses to South Side and Division.

As coach Mike Heedles has said throughout the season, "the girls have the confidence, and the potential, to make another really nice run." The confidence started with last year’s season but has flourished as the girls have built upon that foundation with strong performances week after week. Heedles has found the right combination of veteran leadership and new blood to produce winning results.

Leading the way have been the seniors on the team with keepers Christina Mangels and Tracy Rendano, defender Kristen Conboy, midfielders Jess Stein, Liz Stutzmann and Jill Yoo and forward Taylor Hennig. Also, although she has been hurt this season, Srey Powers has been a positive influence on the sidelines. 

A significant change for the team this season was Heedles moving standout keeper Mangels out of goal and onto the field as the team’s central defender.  The move helped to solidify a stingy defense and gave the Trojans a physical presence on the pitch. On the season the girls gave up 15 goals in 14 games, with four shutouts being shared by Rendano and junior Kelsey Tierney.

On the offensive side of the field the goal-scoring has come from a variety of players. In fact, 10 players have put the ball into the net for a total of 24 goals, with five being first-time varsity goal scorers. Junior Addie Zabrowski leads the team with seven goals on the season. Sophomore Kayla Murphy has five, all coming in the final six games to finish up the season.

The outlook for the upcoming playoffs is bright, with potential showdowns against South Side and Division standing in the way of back-to-back county championships. The girls will have a home game this weekend to kick off the playoffs against an as yet unknown lower ranked opponent.