North Shore advances in playoffs

After a slight scare in the first round of the Nassau Class A girls soccer playoffs, top-seeded North Shore soundly defeated Cold Spring Harbor in the quarterfinals, 4-0, last Friday.

Strong possession, stingy defense and good touch led North Shore to a one-sided victory before a raucous home playoff crowd. But this success doesn’t take away from the Lady Vikings’ constant hungry mentality.

“I think our priority all season long has been to hustle and win those 50/50 balls. Win every 50/50 ball, and you keep possession of the game,” North Shore coach Lauren Gotta said. “If they can’t touch the ball, they don’t get to take shots, and they don’t score.”

Although a very skilled and poised team, Gotta and her squad treat every game the same. They have a go-getter’s mentality where they look to suffocate and aggravate the opposing midfield by constantly keeping the ball in their own half.

Cold Spring Harbor saw the same fate, as North Shore dominated possession time throughout the first and second half, slicing through the defense with crisp passing and good touch. Cailey Welch attacked relentlessly from the right wing, constantly cutting inside to the edge of the box, either sending in crisp crosses or screaming strikes with both feet. She finished with one goal on the night, but left defenders frustrated all night long.

“Cailey can do everything. She can pass, she can move out wide, she can cross the ball, she can finish, she can head it, she does it all,” Gotta said. 

With 35 minutes left, Welch pulled an in-and-out move from her arsenal to beat a defender and rip a screamer past the goalkeeper. About 15 minutes later, Welch sent a rifling weak-footed cross to Grace Magner that Magner just slightly went high and wide of the net. “She had some great crosses tonight,” Gotta said. “She’s probably better with her left foot.”

Selena Fortich sped through gaps in the Cold Spring Harbor defense, collecting two goals. Isabella DiBeneddetto added a goal as well. Taylor Berry, a sound facilitator and constantly active leader delivered two assists on the night. Donatella Tocco added a point to her season total with an assist as well.

Coming off of a 5-3 win over Valley Stream South on Oct. 24 in which the Lady Vikings and their coach were not satisfied with how they performed, Gotta was adamant in how they wanted to play better. “We did not play well. We were so sloppy,” Gotta said. “But we played bad and were still able to win, realizing how bad we played. I think that was a wake up call to us.”

Collecting four of those goals in the opening round was Izzy Glennon, an offensive powerhouse. Glennon saw an unfortunate turn of events on Friday, however, as she hurt her hand and was sent off for a substitute.

Glennon was soon wrapped up and continued cheering on her teammates, and the status of her hand was uncertain. “She got wrapped up. They said to take her off just in case,” Gotta said. When asked if she’d play in the semifinals, Gotta smiled as to confirm her star’s toughness and said, “Oh yeah, she’s going to play.”

A 2-1 win over Mepham on Tuesday night put North Shore in Friday’s county final at 4:30 p.m. at Cold Spring Harbor against No. 3 Manhasset.