Just three days after the MacArthur Lady Generals captured their first Nassau County title in school history, they became the 2011 Long Island Class AA girls’ soccer champions with a 1-0 win over Ward Melville.
MacArthur’s whirlwind week began Nov. 9 with a convincing 3-0 victory over the No. 9-seeded Calhoun Lady Colts (16-1-2) in the Nassau County Class AA Championship Match.
Junior striker Jenny Scro put the No. 2-seeded Lady Generals (16-2) on the board first when she scored on a penalty kick in the 10th minute of the first half after being tripped from behind by a Calhoun defender. In the 44th minute, sophomore Krystyn Alonzo found the back of the net after a crisp feed from senior forward Jill Mulholland to give MacArthur a 2-0 advantage. Mulholland, who ranks No. 7 in Nassau County with 27 points, consistently drew double coverage, which left MacArthur’s other forwards open for key scoring opportunities. With 25:44 remaining in the second half, eighth-grader Arianna Montefusco scored on a powerful strike to seal the deal on the 3-0 victory.
MacArthur head coach Lauren Georges Gotta said losing in the semis of last year’s postseason inspired her team to come out strong come playoff time this season. “Clearly that [loss to Oceanside in the 2010 playoffs] was motivation for this year,” Gotta said. “The fact that we didn’t lose anybody from last year’s team, they had a lot to prove this year. I told the team to remember when we sat on these very same sidelines and cried after that loss last year. I said ‘to remember that and make sure it never happens again’.”
While Calhoun was ranked No. 9 and MacArthur was the top seed, Gotta knew the Lady Colts would be a tough opponent regardless of the rankings. “We had to play 80 minutes of hard soccer,” Gotta added. “One goal isn’t enough, two isn’t enough, three isn’t enough. You have to keep going. Anytime you have that letdown, the other team can gain momentum. All they need is one goal to get back in the game. If we don’t give them a goal, they don’t get back in the game.”
Seventy-two hours after their win over Calhoun, MacArthur was back on the Denton Ave Field for the Long Island Championship Match. Mulholland led the way once again, as she scored in the 62nd minute to lead the Lady Generals to a 1-0 victory over the Ward Melville Lady Patriots. The goal, which was assisted by junior Christina Cottone, earned MacArthur its first Long Island championship in school history. Lady Generals’ junior goalkeeper Jena Cozza came up big defensively, earning win No. 16 of the year with her 14th shutout performance of the season. MacArthur advances to the New York State championship against Brockport, Nov. 19 at 2 p.m.
Levittown’s other girls’ soccer team, the Division Lady Dragons (14-1-3), fell just short of capturing a Nassau County title of their own last Wednesday. Division held a 2-1 lead over the No. 2-seeded South Side Lady Cyclones with less than a minute remaining in double overtime, but South Side tied it up at two apiece after scoring on a free kick. Lady Cyclones junior Meghan Hines notched the game-winner 1:04 into the third overtime period to propel South Side to its 23rd championship in school history. Senior forward Maggie Carew and sophomore striker Ariana Weingrad, who scored one goal each for Division, led the way for the Lady Dragons on offense.
