Late Farmingdale Goal Sinks Lady Colts Soccer in County Quarterfinals

For many of the girls on the Calhoun girls soccer soccer team, Tuesday’s Class AA quarterfinal match up against Farmingdale was the first playoff experience of their high school careers.

The game proved that just one miniscule slip up can sway a game drastically to either side.  

The fourth-seeded Lady Colts (12-3-2) fell to the fifth-seeded Lady Dalers (10-3-4) 1-0 behind a goal from sophomore Amanda Turturro in the 68th minute of play.  

“I thought my defense played very well to hold them for most of the game even though my goalie made the mistake,” Calhoun head coach Lori Biscardi said. “I think the season ended sooner than what we deserved, but they worked hard and I’m proud of them. They had a great season.”  

The two teams played a tightly contested game the whole way with the Dalers dominating possession in the first half. Calhoun was held without a shot for the first 30 minutes of the game until junior Kristina Gandolfo nearly put in the go-ahead goal in the closing minutes of the half.  

The Dalers, who outshot Calhoun 16-7 for the game, created a number of solid chances in the second half. When Colts sophomore goalkeeper Alissa Battaglia, who finished with nine saves, misplayed a ball at the top of the box, Turturro took advantage as she took a pass from sophomore Nadine Hadnagy to put in the game's lone goal.  

“The goalie came out and missed the ball, so we just picked it up and followed it to score,” Turturro said. “We played strong and held them up and it was just a big win for us today.”  

Calhoun sophomore Michelle Iacono was hindered by the Farmingdale defense, which held her without a shot. Iacono also picked up a critical yellow card in the 64th minute.  

“We all could’ve put a little more in the box, but we left everything out on the field,” Iacono said. “We hoped to make it further and it’s disappointing, but we really tried the best we could out there.”  

Midfielder Sarah Shuster was one of six Calhoun seniors who participated in their last game in the effort on Tuesday.  

“In my three years at Calhoun, other than the fact that we lost, this is the game I would like to be my last,” Shuster said. “In all my other years, we didn’t make it past the first round of playoffs, so that is an accomplishment in itself.”  

Farmingdale was solid with their play at midfield and challenged the Calhoun net from the opening whistle.  

“It was a tough game, neither team was giving the other any space,” Farmingdale head coach David Otto said. “Our defense stepped up and our midfield was winning a lot of those 50-50 balls. Our fullbacks were first to the ball a lot of the time, so it enabled us to keep the play in their half of the field.”  

Although Calhoun had the home field advantage, the chips did not fall its way Tuesday. However, the Colts 12-win season is a clear improvement from their two-win season last year.  

“After this, now these girls have experience, so I think we will be able to do well next year and in years to come,” Biscardi said.  

The Colts will look to come back strong with this successful season under their belts as they return nine of their 11 starters and much of their reserve players next year.

Farmingdale moves onto the Class AA semifinals to play top-seeded Massapequa on Friday.