The Huntington varsity girls’ soccer team will put its 1-0 record on the line at Northport on Friday at 5 p.m. The Blue Devils are coming off a 3-0 season opening victory at Patchogue-Medford last Saturday morning.
Northport traditionally fields a strong team so Huntington expects to have its hands full on Friday. The Tigers cruised past Brentwood in its first game, 7-1.
Blue Devil head coach John Walsh and assistant coach Vincent Tannazzo are pleased with how their team has come together early in the season. The squad used three scrimmages to prep for the regular season play.
Last Saturday at Patchogue-Medford, Huntington broke open the game with three second half goals to give Blue Devil goalie Makaylah Frazier her first career varsity shutout. The senior recorded five saves before yielding to backup goalies Ashley Genao and Reese Rinaldi, who both took turns in the net.
Caroline O’Rourke, April Swanson and Edelyn Garcia scored goals for Huntington. Gianna Forte and Teddi Carnesi tallied assists. Garcia’s goal came off a corner kick by Carnesi in one of the most exciting plays of the day.
“I think soccer is going really well so far.” Swanson said. “I think as a team we are all really close and all support and root for each other and that’s a really good thing to have as a team that is growing. We are all so talented and work so well together. We have new faces on our varsity team, but we all act like we have known each other for a long time even though we all just started to get to know each other two or so weeks ago. I can’t wait to see what our season will end like and I have high hopes that we will make it to playoffs because we have trained very hard to get to where we are right now.”
Against Patchogue-Medford, Garcia, Carnesi and Emily Plachta controlled the midfield for Huntington and Eliza Walther and Hope Bilkey teamed up with Frazier for a suffocating defensive effort.
Blue Devil players are optimistic about the season. “Personally, I feel confident that it is going really well and we are showing great potential for the season,” O’Rourke said. “If we stay on the track we are on, I think that as a team, we will only get better.”
Huntington is captained by Katie Browne, Garcia, Carnesi and Plachta. “All four of them are great leaders and motivators,” Walsh said. “They have all done so much for our program.”
Huntington’s mix of underclassmen, including spectacular eighth graders Cameron Smith and Jolie Weinschreider and veteran seniors is already serving the team well.
“I’m so excited for this year’s season,” Bilkey said. “We have incredible talent and skill. We had a very successful pre-season and won our first league game. We continue to get stronger and more powerful with every practice. I am proud to be a member of this awesome team.”