The Oyster Bay Tornadoes, U16 girls travel soccer team, consists of 15 and 16 year-old players. They include: Kristen Poppe (defender), Danielle Coccia (forward), Gabrielle Albanese (defender/ midfielder), Melissa Albanese (forward/midfielder), Erin Allen (forward/center midfielder), Katrina Cappiello (defender/midfielder), Amanda Kalan (center midfielder), Marissa Venuto (midfielder), Melissa LaCorte (defender/forward), Brianna Cornachio (forward/midfielder), Emily Siringo (forward/midfielder), Alessandra Puccio (forward), Julia Cranz (defender/midfielder), Erica Eisenberg (defender/forward), Caroline Dupre (defender), Marissa Matarese (forward/midfielder), Kristen Maggi (defender), Arden Etts (goalie), Riane Woodman (defender). The girls are coached by Sal Albanese.
The team came in first place this past fall putting them in Division 1(out of 8), the highest Long Island Junior Soccer League placement (LIJSL is the umbrella that most soccer clubs in LI are under for travel teams). Not only are they division champions but they are 12 time winners of the LIJSL sportsmanship award. This means they have won this honor every season since inception of the team! A first for Oyster Bay teams and LIJSL!
This team’s bond is not only on the field but off as well. They are all very good friends that care about each other and like to have fun. They like getting together for pizza, going to Baskin Robbins after a game for ice cream, having pool parties in the summer, post and pre season. And even celebrating the coach’s birthday every time they go out whether it’s his birthday or not!
This past summer they flew to Disney in Orlando, Florida for the Disney Cup International Tournament. They got together and planned fundraisers to help defer the cost. They planned car washes, bake sales, water bottle and bagel sales and made posters, all so that the team can have fun while participating in a very special event. (The team does many tournaments and indoor leagues during the season but this is the first that they had to fly to.)
The girls were up against the national and premier teams of Canada, Honduras, Florida, NJ and upstate NY. Coming in as a Division 2 team (at the time) they were surely the underdogs. The heat was unbearable and the games were tough but the attitude was play hard, don’t give up and smile!! The determination paid off, they came in 4th place to national teams!!
Soccer was one part of the trip but the other was fun, fun, fun with Mickey and friends! They went to the parks, went swimming, had team breakfasts and dinners and just hung out giggling and talking as girls can do.
Six years ago Coach Sal Albanese put together a team that he knew would grow and blossom into the team that it is today. His vision was to have a team that would represent Oyster Bay as being competitive but also doing it in a gracious way. He could not be more proud. All the hard work and dedication is so worth the results season after season.
The team would not be a team if it wasn’t for the parents. A big thank you and congratulations to the parents for bringing up a group of considerate, polite, dedicated, talented and beautiful young ladies and also having them where they are supposed to be all the time, on time.
The spring season starts March 20, come down and cheer the girls on! The full home schedule will be posted in March on the obensoccer.org website.
Congratulations Tornadoes, YOU GO GIRLS!!!!
