Sports

Calhoun falls short in quarterfinals

Posted

 

Calhoun had its string of three straight appearances in the Nassau County Class AA girls’ soccer finals snapped by upset-minded Hicksville, the No. 6 seed, in a 1-0 quarterfinal defeat on Oct. 29.

The Lady Comets scored on a free kick just outside the Lady Colts’ 18-yard line only eight minutes into the game, and made it stand up over the final 72 minutes. “We had a few chances we just did not play well overall, and Hicksville played very well,” Calhoun coach Lori Biscardi said. “We knew it would be tough, even if we had already beaten them twice in the regular season, because I think it’s always tough to beat a team three times.”

The one-goal playoff thriller only underscores the type of tough matchups every team in Conference AA-I faced this season. Both of the regular season meetings between the teams were Calhoun victories decided by just one goal (3-2 on Sept. 10, 1-0 on Sept. 29), and the Lady Colts entered the playoffs riding a string of six consecutive ties (five in conference play). Even the quarterfinal game’s only goal was contested, as sophomore Gillian Stapler got a piece of the low line drive before it hit the net. 

“We’re based on ability and every game could go either way,” Biscardi said. “The level of play is so high and each game is a good game. It was a tough loss, but hats’ off to Hicksville.”

A chunk of key players from the defense is set to graduate, including a pair of All-Class AA honorees (seniors Danielle Losquadro and Rebecca Woods), but Calhoun does have some younger talent ready to take on bigger roles. Junior Jacqueline Shand, who also earned All-Class AA honors, is set to return, along with junior All-Conference honoree Marianne Cassisi and freshman Amelia Seabold, who made an impression after getting called up from junior varsity. 

Page 1 / 2