The Huntington High School girls’ soccer team’s season is inching closer and players continue to be optimistic about their chances for success.
The COVID-19 pandemic pushed the fall season back to March 1. It will feel different and include many complete unknowns. Still, the Blue Devils are hopeful and excited at the same time and can’t wait to be all together and try to win as many games as possible.
Blue Devil girls' soccer coach John Walsh.
Coached by John Walsh and Vincent Tannazzo, the returning varsity roster includes sophomore Gianna Forte, juniors Katie Browne, Hanna Carlson, Teddi Carnesi, Edelyn Garcia and Emily Plachta and seniors Isabella Algieri, Alexa Amorison, Johanna Campos-Moreira, Giavanna DeVoe, Jordan Forte, Sarah Giarraputo, Julia Gorecki, Kemberlin Hernandez-Veliz, Timmeree Koepele, Ainsley Lumpe, Charlotte Maggio and Julia Steinberg.
Huntington will play 10 regular season games with home and away contests set with Half Hollow Hills East, Copiague, Connetquot, Northport and Smithtown East. The season-opener is scheduled for March 9 at 4 p.m. against Half Hollow Hills East. The regular season wraps-up at Smithtown East on April 7 with a 4:30 p.m. game. Playoffs will follow.
The Blue Devils will be led by their exceptional goalkeeper Ainsley Lumpe. The teenage star recorded six shutouts last fall before a late-season injury forced her to miss the final four games.
The team participated in a string of pre-season workouts on their field after Section XI and Huntington UFSD permitted such sessions with safety protocols in place.
“I think pre-season conditioning was a great way to let the girls see each other and touch the ball for a bit,” Carnesi said. “We were able to see people from different cohorts, which was really cool. All in all it was a fun way to get the ball moving.”
Coaches Walsh and Tannazzo were pleased with what they saw during the pre-season workouts and with the overall interest in the program.
Jordan Forte is expected to be Huntington’s top scoring threat and she’s ready to try and make her senior season her best one yet. The teenager was pleased with the fall pre-season training.
“I think that it went really well,” Forte said. “I think it was a great opportunity for all the girls to get out there playing together. Every time we got out there every girl had a smile on their face and was eager to play and just get out there on the field.”
One of the top Blue Devil players, Plachta was happy to take the field for the conditioning program. “For the circumstances, I think it went well,” she said. “It was nice to see the coaches and my teammates that I don’t have classes with. I remain hopeful that we will have a season come the spring.”