By Phil Corso
The girls of the U16 Little Neck Titans celebrated an almost perfect season, kicking their way through a 4-0 victory over the Northport Cow Harbor team last month to earn their second Long Island Junior Soccer League division title.
The Titans made it all the way to the Long Island Cup semi-finals, showing toughness and grit throughout before falling to the Smithtown Xplosion in the series.
The team, which ended the season with a record of 8-1-0, gave up only seven goals throughout the entire season with help from goalkeeper Sam Glass, center backs Giuliana Roselli and Emily Hanna, left back Mona Farnisa, and right back Elizabeth Di Bartolo. They did this all without the help of their teammate Chelsea Fertig, who missed the season due to injury.
Trainer Chris Miller said she saw something special in the team not long after seeing them on the field.
“To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect going into my first season with the Titans,” Miller said. “However, after just one week with them, I knew that this was going to be a special season due to their talent, dedication and unmatched work ethic.”
One of the team’s biggest keys to success, Coach Jimmy Hanna said, was their strong presence down the middle of the field as Haley Panaro, Isabella Rudow and Barbara Goger shut down their opponents and kicked off the team’s attacks. Wingers Katrina Cardenas, Justine Damato, Samantha Ubertini and Alyssa Murphy also helped by linking up with forwards Deanna Fedkowskyj, Shannon Pizzella and Marisa Masi to score a combined total of 30 goals.
“The girls worked hard all season long and deserved everything they won,” Miller said. “Hopefully, their excellent play will carry into next season as well as in their high school games.”
Reach reporter Phil Corso by e-mail at pcorso@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4573.
