Sewanhaka squeaks past Lawrence

An offensive onslaught keyed by first-half goals from senior midfielder Sabrina Orologio and sophomore forward Sabrina Spiridigliozzi propelled the Sewanhaka Lady Indians to a 2-1 win over the young, upstart Lawrence Lady Golden Tornadoes (2-2-1 Conference A-IV, 2-3-1 overall) Oct. 4.

It was a much-needed victory for Sewanhaka (4-1 in conference play, 4-2-1 overall), which needed a win to keep pace with Glen Cove for a share of first place. Orologio, who missed all of last season with a leg injury, didn’t let her uncomfortable, bulky knee brace prevent her from finding the back of the net in the 13th minute of the first half, as she sliced past two Lawrence defenders and curled a right-footed shot past goalkeeper Julie Obregon. “She got hurt two years ago during a game,” Sewanhaka coach Joe DeSabato said. “She jumped up and came down on it funny. She had surgery on it and it’s her first year back since then.”

Spiridigliozzi, who is one of the top 20 scorers in Nassau County, pushed the pace of the offense for Sewanhaka and tallied her team-high seventh goal of the season in the 23rd minute of the match, which opened up a 2-0 advantage for her team. Lawrence kept fighting and cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 68th minute, as sophomore midfielder Josseline Jimenez scored unassisted on a corner kick. Jimenez booted the ball from the left sideline and it bounced off the outstretched hands of Sewanhaka’s freshman goalkeeper Danielle Ford (three saves) and into the back of the net.

However, the Lady Golden Tornadoes weren’t able to capitalize on the momentum shift following the goal, as Sewanhaka stoppers Celeste Pipia (sophomore) and Jaclyn Wisniewski (senior) dominated the middle of the field and shut down the attack.

Following the game, DeSabato was quick to praise his team’s heartfelt effort on defense. “I thought Pipia played really well,” he added. “She controlled the loose ball and won battles in the middle of the field, which gave us good opportunities up front.”