Girls Soccer Hopes for Undefeated Season

The Port Washington girls soccer team is determined to make the playoffs and win every game this season. Here's why. 

2010 Record: 6-6-1

Head Coach: Lauren Bishar (third year)

Key Players:
Senior, forward, Emily Rosenthal
Sophomore, goalkeeper, Michele Lammers
Senior, midfielder, Julianna Beall
Senior, defender, Elyse Belarge

Position Breakdown: Bishar has sophomore Michele Lammers between the goalposts and has complete confidence in her young goalie. “She is very strong, very aggressive,” Bishar said. The Vikings believe Lammers can make some great saves and help keep the team in games.

On the defensive end, the Vikings look to captain Elyse Belarge to help guide the team. She is a strong player and more importantly, she is a good communicator. For the Vikings, communication is a weak area, but with Belarge in the back, there is a lot of chatter. “She is very good at organizing the defense,” Bishar said.

Melissa Naschek and Nicole Zwiener are two of Bishar’s outsider defenders. They work alongside Brenna Betch and Sara Marinelli. All four are very strong defenders. “They mark very well and they recover very well,” Bishar said.

Bishar has her choice of players for her center mids. The team is full of athletes who can easily slide into that position and give the Vikings the kind of productivity it needs. Look for Kate Andriola and Krista Ledins to fill that spot often. Ledins, the only freshman on the team, started her varsity career off strong. In the first game of the season, Ledins scored her first goal.

The outside mids will need to be aggressive and fast. Bishar has talent and speed in Gabby Meyer, captain Kaitlyn Brown, Lindsay Edwards and Annelise Meyding.

Leading the group of strikers for the Vikings will be captain Emily Rosenthal. Last year she was a junior captain, so all her experience will make her the go-to girl for the team. Working with Rosenthal is Julianna Beall, Jackie Avila, Lillian Alverez and Alexandra Dover.

Expectations: “I think we have pretty high expectations," Bishar said. "We have a lot of retuning players, so we are really looking forward for them to take their experience from previous years and their leadership to guide the girls to a pretty successful season.” 

This season, the team does not simply want to have more wins that loses. At the end of the season, they to see a big zero in the loss column. All three captain, Belarge, Brown and Rosenthal mimicked the mentality of the team. For them, going undefeated isn’t just wishful thinking, they believe it is a possibility.

Upcoming Schedule: 4:30 p.m.; Sept. 19 – Herricks @ Port Washington, 4:45 p.m.; Sept. 21 - Port Washington @ Kennedy Bellmore, 4:30 p.m.; Sept. 23 – Calhoun @ Port Washington, 4:30 p.m.;  Sept. 26 - Port Washington @ Valley Stream, 4:30 p.m.;  Sept. 27 – Long Beach @ Port Washington, 4:30 p.m.; Oct. 3 - Port Washington @ Syosset, 4:30 p.m.; Oct. 11 - Port Washington @ Herricks, 4:30 p.m.; Oct. 14 – Kennedy Belmore @ Port Washington, 4:45 p.m.; Oct. 17 - Port Washington @ Calhoun, 4:30 p.m.; Oct. 20 – Valley Stream @ Port Washington, 4:45 p.m.; Oct. 21 - Port Washington @ Plainview, 4:30 p.m.; Oct. 24 – Syosset @ Port Washington, 4:30 p.m.

News and Notes: The girls’ season is already underway and so far, so good.  The team played Plainview and won 3-0. Ledins scored her first varsity career goal. Seniors Brown and Rosenthal also scored for the Vikings. Edwards and Avila both got their first assists of the season. Lammers helped the team to the victory with 5 saves. If the Vikings want to achieve their goal and remain undefeated, they are really going to have to work hard, especially when they play powerhouses like Syosset and Valley Stream.

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