Sports
Calhoun Downs Kennedy in Girls Soccer Season Opener
The Colts got off to a positive note with a 2-0 win against rival Cougars.
A pair of school rivals in the Calhoun Colts and Kennedy Cougars kicked off the girls soccer regular season on Monday afternoon.
Calhoun, who finished as runner-up’s in their conference last year, defeated Kennedy by a 2-0 score at home.
Calhoun returned nine of their 11 starters this season, while Kennedy has looked to fill in seven spots in 2011. Both teams figure to compete for a conference title, with the Colts starting out as the preseason favorites.
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“It’s a great win to start the season, especially a win [against] Kennedy,” Lori Biscardi, Calhoun head coach, said. “The girls’ passing was unbelievable. Some things weren’t going their way in the beginning, but then they finally got organized, played defeat and did their passing game.”
In the opening minutes, Kennedy goalkeeper Nicole Liotta, who finished with four stops, made a diving save on a low-driven shot by Calhoun forward Michelle Iacono to keep the game at a scoreless tie.
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Just six minutes later, Kennedy nearly took the initial lead, but a shot by Krista Trinidad was blocked by a slew of Colt defenders in the box with goalkeeper Alissa Battaglia out of position.
In the 35th minute, Calhoun midfielder Kayla Cappuzzo took a pass from Iacono and sent a shot under the crossbar for the games’ first goal, and her teams’ first of the season. With a 1-0 lead heading into halftime, Calhoun only looked to extend the margin further.
In the opening minute of the second half, Iacono took a short pass from Mary Hijazi off of a rebound and found the back of the net to give Calhoun a 2-0 lead.
“Going into the game, we were all pumped and I was just ready to go,” said Cappuzzo. “We possessed the ball well, but I think we need to work on switching the field and keeping the ball on the ground.”
Kennedy struggled to find many offensive opportunities with a stingy Colts defense, led by Talia Charidah and Lea Sanders, limiting their chances.
“Calhoun is returning a team that is really strong and we were a little short today both energy-wise and ability-wise,” Janine Bizelia, Kennedy head coach, said. “We are going to win and were going to lose games, but we are going to go out with the same mentality.”
Calhoun will host another league opponent in Syosset on Sept. 14 at 4:30 p.m.
Kennedy will host Valley Stream Central in their home opener on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.
