The Wildcats are off to a mixed start, with a 3-2 record.
By Melanie Cane
The Wildcats are off to a mixed start, with a 3-2 record. After being shut out, 2-0, by Convent of the Sacred Heart on September 16, (Rye Country Day dominated, but could not find the back of the net), the team was pumped to be back on their home turf September 18. The Wildcats outplayed Greens Farms Academy in the 4-1 win.
Sofia Wilmer opened the scoring with a great one-touch finish, assisted by Zoe Kost. Nicola Leake, with a corner kick assist from Taylor Regan, scored the second goal. Just before halftime, Martina Capellano scored the third goal on an amazing shot from 25 yards.
In the second half, the Wildcats came out strong, creating more opportunities to score. Regan closed out the scoring, assisted by senior defender Julia Massaro.
The Dragons scored their only goal on a penalty kick with 15 minutes remaining in the game.
“We passed and moved the ball to create scoring opportunities,” said Coach Alin Andrei after the game. “I was very happy to see all the freshman players keeping pace with the older players.”
Wildcat defenders, including a freshman Madeline Zuber, played a key role in the victory, added Coach Andrei. The coach gave special credit to veteran defenders Julia Massaro and Sarah Brodwolf — “both of them know how to organize the entire team” — and left defender Elizabeth Mastoloni, “who did an excellent job backing up a lot of the midfielders. She ran up and down the field trying to create opportunities to score.”
One weakness the Wildcats displayed was not backing up the offense. There were several occasions when the Greens Farms’ goalie bobbled the ball after a scoring attempt, but nobody on offense was there to take advantage of the situation.
Unfortunately, two days after the stellar win against Greens Farms, the team lost to Hopkins 4-0. So far, the Wildcats have won all their home games and lost all their away matches.
Next up, the Wildcats play Masters in a home conference September 27.
