Promising start for Carey

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After a campaign that yielded just three wins, the Carey girls’ lacrosse team has gotten off to a much better start in 2016. Despite dropping their first two games, the Lady Seahawks have lost just one of their past four and have a record of 2-3-1 (2-2 in Nassau Conference III). 

In Carey’s 9-7 road victory over Elmont last Friday, the Lady Seahawks got a pair of goals and assists from both senior Mackenzie Nyitray and eighth-grader KellyAnn McGrath. Chiamaka Ubani scored three goals to lead Elmont.

Nicole Kaye, in her first year as head coach at Carey, is optimistic. “A lot of different abilities lead to a lot of possibilities,” Kaye said. “We have a nice mix of young players and seniors. The diverse talent we have makes us kind of unique. We don’t have just one girl we rely on to make things happen; it’s the entire team. We have the potential to be strong.”

Kaye, a 2008 Carey graduate who served as an assistant varsity coach the past three seasons, needed to rebuild Carey’s defensive unit which was senior-laden in 2015. Senior Courtney Condron, a three-year varsity player, leads the young defense. She is a shutdown defender who does a great job getting the team in transition. 

Junior Elsa Wettstein and sophomore Meghan Santina are strong defenders who hold their ground well in front of the cage. The unit gets depth from sophomore Kerri Conti and junior Alex Cowen.

Junior Angelica Miceli-Kaya returns for her third season in net for Carey. Miceli-Kaya, who is averaging nearly 13 saves per game, has emerged as a standout goalie. She had 15 saves in a heartbreaking 11-10 double-overtime loss to Jericho. 

Carey’s strongest and most experienced group is its midfielders. Senior Shannon Giddens, who will play at SUNY Oneonta, has 14 goals and two assists over Carey’s first six games. Giddens is one of the team’s best triple-threat players, and does a great job on draws.

Left handed middie Brett Robison is strong with or without the ball. The three-sport athlete is a jack-of-all-trades on the lacrosse field. Robison has 14 goals and has assisted on three others. 

McGrath, Giddens, and Robison have terrific chemistry. Each has the ability to play all three midfield positions. McGrath has 13 goals and four assists for the year, including a three-goal, two-assist effort in a win over Herricks. 

At attack, fleet-footed senior Luciana Lombardo is excellent in transition. Lombardo had a goal and an assist against Herricks. Nyitray is an aggressive player who has a knack for finding and setting up open teammates. Nyitray has four goals and a team-leading six assists. 

Senior Sophia D’Arienzo and junior Emily Conti are steady performers who can score. Senior Vicky Murray does all the little things that don’t show up in the box score. 

The Lady Seahawks host district-rival Sewanhaka next Monday at 6:30 p.m.