Brynne Murphy prepares to drive the ball past East Meadow Defender. When the GC Daredevils were brought together as a team back in August it was clear that they were a great bunch of girls who were very athletic. What wasn’t clear was how this bunch of girls who had competed against each other since kindergarten would come together as a team, whether they would practice hard to learn the game of soccer, be selfless by playing positions they hadn’t played before for the good of team and stay enthusiastic. In last 2 months they have played in 19 games including 2 tournaments, 3 state cup games and 6 league games. During that time the coaches and parents have had the pleasure of seeing this great bunch of girls evolve into a very good soccer team.

Courtney Studdert and Taylor Pappas outflank East Meadow Defender. The transformation was all brought into focus with a 0 — 0 tie against the East Meadow Hotshots. The East Meadow Hotshots who had only lost one game this season to the undefeated Farmingdale Storm needed to win this game to keep in contention for first place. The GC Daredevils who have been playing better and better as a team were well prepared for this game. They had only given up 3 goals in their last three games and had just shutout a very good Albertson Elite team.

Victoria Piscopo races past Hotshots to get ball. The game was very fast paced with clean aggressive play on both sides. Each break the East Meadow Hotshots had was met by the defensive play of Fullbacks’ Brynne Murphy, Taylor Pappas and Elizabeth Furman. They were never caught out of position and time and time again drove the ball up the field with powerful kicks. Midfielders' Courtney Studdert, Lucy Donahue, Jacqueline Jahelka and Maggie Bill did their usual outstanding job of winning those one on one battles in the middle of the field whose outcomes often result in critical momentum shifts. The offensive attack was led by Forwards’ Victoria Piscopo, Jane Frumberg and Carly Knowles. The three of them used their speed and aggressiveness to force the East Meadow Hotshots goalie to make a number of great saves. As good as the Hotshots goalie was when it comes to saving goals there is no one is better than the GC Daredevils’ Kelsey Tierny. This was the 2nd game in a row she shutout and shutdown her opponent with spectacular saves worthy of being on ESPN plays of the week.

Maggie Bill stops East Meadow from breaking toward goal. While the outcome may have been a tie the coaches and parents knew they had just watched their team play a great game of soccer. The girls played smart, aggressive soccer but most importantly played as a team. This game gave all a glimpse into how good this team is going to be as they continue to play more and more games together. Coach Charlie Frumberg along with trainers Ernest Inneh and Lauren Bishar have done a great job of teaching and encouraging the girls.