Bayside claims another Queens crown

Joe Corrado knew he had the talent and athletes to emulate Bayside’s recent string of dominance. The Commodores girls soccer coach wasn’t sure how his returning stalwarts - star striker Despina Psomopoulos (who leads Queens A-V with 13 goals), keeper Nicole Carroll, midfielder Zoe Margulies and forward-turned-fullback Seena Sleem - would deal with the pressure of becoming the program’s focal points after graduating five four-year seniors. It was those seniors that guided the Commodores to last year’s Class A championship game, the first Queens team to advance that far since 1986.
“They were always kind of underneath that group that graduated last year,” Corrado said. “That was the biggest challenge of the year going in, the uncertainty of the direction of the team, because the stability we had for two years was so good. This is really their year. The team has a different heartbeat. It’s not the same team, but I think they’re really getting the job done in their own way.”
Opposition within Queens would not disagree. Bayside, after beating Cardozo, their chief rivals, 2-1 Monday afternoon, has clinched their third consecutive regular season division title, extending their undefeated streak against borough opponents to 34 games (33-0-1), their last loss coming to Francis Lewis May 9, 2005.
The two teams, Corrado said, are similar, built upon a stout defense, Psomopoulos’s playmaking ability up front and athleticism at midfield. There are many differences. Sleem, for one, moved in the back. Brooke Smith and Rebecca Arce, sophomores who rarely played a year ago, now start. Same with sophomores Cynthia Gomez and Laura Rueda, and junior Anca Dogarescu at midfield.
“I didn’t expect anything less from this group,” Corrado said. “There are some really good players on this team.
Corrado is not sure what to expect come postseason time. Of course, he does not want to lose in the first round and would like to return to the final. But he isn’t putting any unrealistic expectations on this group.
“Just play well, that’s all I ask, that’s my measuring stick, make sure we live up to what we can do,” he said. “What can we do? I don’t know what that is. I want the kids to overachieve. I just want them to get the most out of their season.”