Carey seeks deep playoff run

Carey’s girls’ soccer team has lost just once in each of its last two regular seasons, including a 12-1-1 mark in 2023 en route to the Conference 4 championship. It seems the only thing left to do now is capture the county title.

The Seahawks even carried over their strong play into the postseason, beating Great Neck South 3-0 in an outbracket game and then surviving a thrilling 2-1 overtime win over Calhoun before eventually losing a heartbreaker to Manhasset 2-1 in the quarterfinals.

Carey, which played to a scoreless draw in its season-opening rematch with Calhoun on Sept. 3, moved up to Conference 3 this season with Roslyn and will see mostly new opponents in Farmingdale, New Hyde Park, Kennedy, Division, and Baldwin. With a young but experienced roster, fourth-year coach Chris Posillico is welcoming the challenge.

“We’re young, so you never know, but everything goes our way, I think this team can really accomplish anything for sure,” he said. “I told them already that my vision for them is to beat what we did last year. Last year, getting knocked out in the quarterfinals losing by a goal was tough, but I think this team can do even better.”

Carey did lose a couple of key players from last year’s squad to graduation, but most of the players have returned and Posillico has even incorporated five talented eighth graders onto this season’s roster.

Senior Toni Flaherty finished the 2023 regular season red hot with four goals in five games to finish with 9 tallies and 14 points on the campaign. Her heroics continued into the playoffs, when her free kick eliminated Calhoun.

“Last year, she was phenomenal,” Posillico said. “One of the best moments for me as a coach and even when I played, her free kick against Calhoun in overtime to send us to the quarterfinals was just one of the most incredible moments I’ve ever seen.”

Freshman Laura Maya scored all 7 of her goals in October last season and is being moved from midfielder to striker to join senior Isabella Mola (3-4-7). Sophomore Gabriella Perna impressed with 3 goals and 3 assists at wing.

“She’s going to be our striker this year,” Posillico said of Maya. “She is incredible. At this level, you see a lot of girls who are not going to use their heads, and they’ll throw different body parts on the ball, but she is just in the air. She wins everything with her head. She can score goals with her head.”

Midfield is a position of strength on this year’s team with sophomore co-captain Amelia Kalamaras (4-5-9), seniors Christina Genovese (4-2-6) and Sarah Mae Scavelli and junior Azalea Flaherty providing depth at the position.

Senior co-captain Gabriella Jacob leads a defensive corps that also includes a converted striker in junior Ava Iori (3-2-5) and eighth grader Michaela Messina. Junior Madison Gonzalez is the new goalkeeper and already has experience manning the pipes as the girls’ lacrosse netminder.

“She is a phenomenal goalie,” Posillico said.