Amityville works to build chemistry

After finishing with just a 2-13-1 record in 2023, Amityville’s girls’ soccer team aims for improvement.

Coach Michele Armenia is in her second year at the helm of the program and wants the Warriors to play more together.

“Last season, we need to be more like a family,” she said. “I told them to just trust within each other. They have the skill to do it, they just have to believe.”

More than half of this year’s roster consists of seniors so it’s a veteran-led group. That includes four center midfielders: Keyra Zelaya, Delainey Katz, Joselyn Chinchilla, and Jannais Marte all have huge roles. “They are so key for us,” Armenia said. “Having them to hold down the middle of the field is huge.”

On defense, Alisson Molina and Janithza Sanabria are the leaders. They, along with goaltender Katelyn Hernandez, are crucial to the team’s success. “Those three are so great,” said Armenia. “They hold the fort down back there and keep us in games.” Not only have Molina and Sanabria done a great job on the field, but they’ve also helped a young player develop off the field. Isabella Luis is the only eighth grader on the varsity roster and continues to learn from the seniors on the team.

While Luis is Amityville’s youngest player, there are a few juniors who are looking to take the next step with advanced roles. Aurora Morales is a midfielder who hopes to take a big step forward. “The goal for her is to take more of a leadership role,” Armenia said. Along with Morales, both Jazleen Diaz and Diana Zacarius are in their junior season as they join the team after being on JV last season.

“Both Jazleen and Diana add to the team’s dynamic,” Armenia said. “They have been ready to go from the jump and have done a great job of putting the team first.”

Even though this is just Armenia’s second year as coach, she has plenty of experience. Last year, however, was a new encounter for everyone. The team was without assistant coach Nick Demonda. “I’m not one to make excuses but that changed a lot for us last season,” Armenia said. “The players love him and he’s such a great asset to our team. We missed him in 2023.”

This season has not gotten off to a great start, with multiple blowout losses in the first three games. It also battled Copiague to a 1-1 draw. Katz scored.

But there is still plenty of time for the Warriors to show improvement and continue to get better and better as the season goes on. That’s all Armenia is looking for during the hard-fought journey.