By Erin Bruehl
The plan worked well on Friday as the freshmen hooked up for two goals for the Bayside girls' soccer team as the Commodores defeated Townsend Harris, 5-1 at Bayside Athletic Field.The Queens A rivals previously met in the first game of the season, which Bayside (5-1) won 2-0 but as Commodores coach Joe Corrado pointed out before the game Friday, both teams have improved since then.Bayside dominated early, barraging the Townsend Harris goal in the opening 15 minutees but goalkeeper Diana Kokoszka was equal to the task. The Commodores finally broke through in the 19th minute on an Ashley Spellman goal to the bottom left corner from just inside the 6-yard box, her fifth this year.Bayside dominated possession in the first half but the scored remained at 1-0 until Sleem and Margulies joined together on one of their crossover plays.Sleem raced down field and Margulies passed to her, about 12 yards in front of the net. With few defenders in her way, Sleem put the ball in the right corner to make it 2-0 in the 33rd minute.”We have a special thing going,” Sleem said of her and Margulies. “We were friends before the team and I usually try to run down and then cross it over to her.”Townsend Harris (6-2 PSAL) came out firing in the second and Mariella Romano put the ball in the top left corner of the net in the 50th minute to cut the lead to 2-1.But Sleem struck again five minutes later, this time alone and to the top right of the net for her seventh goal of the year. Just six minutes later she completed one of her usual passes to Margulies right in front of the net, who rocked it into the right corner to make it 4-1.Corrado was pleased with the way his team took control.”It's nice to have two or three people in the forward line (including Sleem and Margulies) who work so well together,” he said. “I think our ball movement is getting better and we pressured the ball well so it didn't give them time to launch shots into our territory.”Alexandra Knese added the final Bayside goal in the last minute on a long kick from about 25 yards out.
