Cappuzzo Nets Two, Lady Colts Shut Out Long Beach

The Calhoun girls soccer team played a nearly flawless match Monday to defeat Long Beach on the road 4-0 behind two goals from freshman Kayla Cappuzzo.

The Lady Colts (5-1-1) battled a constant rain to shut out the Lady Marines (2-4-1), collecting their third consecutive win after falling to Mepham for their first defeat of the season just a week ago.

Calhoun coach Lori Biscardi said she was pleased with her team's success at the midway point of the season.

"I think this may have been our best game yet, playing for the full 80 minutes," she said. "We shut down their midfield in the second half and just played it simple, playing to defeat and playing the ball back when we needed to."

Senior Sarah Shuster scored the first goal for the Lady Colts on a rebound from a shot by freshman Taylor Sipos in the 10th minute. Cappuzzo added the first of her two goals in the 30th minute followed by another late in the second half with the game in hand.

"I thought we played really well," Shuster said. "We're not used to playing on this turf like they are, but we adapted to the ball moving faster."

Sophomore Michelle Iacono, who returned from a minor concussion suffered in their game against Kennedy, put away the final goal in the closing minute. She also had the tough task of defending the Lady Marines' top midfielder, sophomore Emily Aquedelo, from start to finish.

"I think we played really strong, even in the bad weather," Iacono said. "Emily is a good player, so I just focused on keeping her in front, not letting her turn and face the goal to get shots off."

Calhoun went into the crucial league match-up shorthanded, with juniors Mary Hijazi and Carla Miguel both suffering injuries in the past week. The return of Iacono, a strong performance from junior Kristina Gandolfo at midfield, and Cappuzzo's pressure helped the Lady Colts dominate the offensive zone, outshooting the Lady Marines 23-5.

"Having Michelle back helped out a lot, having that strong presence in the middle," Biscardi said. "Kayla's speed, her talent, the way she sees the field and knowing what to do with the ball every time is a great help to the team."

Long Beach was able to create a handful of chances and put on pressure with the game still in reach early in the second half, but the solid Calhoun defense proved to be too much for the Lady Marines and head coach T.J. Burke.

"We were hanging around decently," Burke said.  "As long as we can stay in the mix and make the playoffs, I think that is a great season. But today, I thought we played tough, especially Emily Aqudelo and Shannon Horgan."

Calhoun will take on Kennedy on Oct. 12 and Mepham on Oct. 18, both on the road, in what figures to be deciding matches to determine who finishes atop Conference III for the regular season.

"Kennedy and Mepham are the two teams that we have to play our best against," Biscardi said. "They are definitely our toughest competition."

The Lady Colts still have business to take care of before the Bellmore-Merrick soccer showdowns begin. Calhoun squares off against Carey at home Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. Mepham (7-0) beat Carey 6-0 on Monday.