Stephanie DiPierro kicks the ball into the net against Hicksville. The Garden City Liberty (U-11) soccer team had a slow start in the beginning of the season, but by game three the team was back. True to their name, the girls set themselves free by keeping possession of the ball, implementing clean passes, and strong delivery to the net. Charlotte Castronovo started the momentum by scoring a terrific goal against Farmingdale, resulting in a 1-0 win for Liberty.

This boosted the team’s confidence which they carried into the Syosset game this past Saturday. Erin Vierengel was the first to draw cheers from the crowd with her shot from midfield that popped over the head of the goalie and bounced in. The offense kept pressing on and the second goal was scored by Stephanie DiPierro as she faked out her Syosset defenders and smoked the ball into the net. The third goal, once again, was delivered by Erin Vierengel with speed and precision as she nailed the ball into the right corner, for the final goal to win the game 3-0.

Erin Vierengel scored the last goal of the Syosset game. Garden City Liberty defense was also a dominating factor in the game. Erin Higgins, who is a natural defender and mid fielder, kept unwavering pressure on the back line by repeatedly sending any ball that came her way down field. As always, she was cool and collected and delivered an unbelievable kick. Protecting the goal was Deirdre McGuinness without hesitation she charged the ball and dominated the field. A born sweeper, Linda Attanasio was strong on defense as she pushed her way through and pouncing on the Syosset offense on Saturday. Other key players in the game were Paulette Mohacsi, Nicole Meisemer, Caitlin Mallon, all three of these girls showed awesome speed and the ability to dribble around players and make the plays happen when it counts. These girls were able to win the ball each time when faced against the Syosset offense. Charlotte Castronovo also found her way on Saturday with her [predictable kicks and her ability to dribble the ball down the sidelines. Charlotte had a lot of great plays down by the Syosset goal. Lucy Donahue, and Marielle McCartin dug deep to control the ball under pressure maneuvering themselves in front of Syosset’s offense. Lucy and Marielle executed some key passes saving some potential shots on goal by Syosset’s offense. Liesl Jaye, in spite of an ankle injury, played a great first half of the game. She took complete control of the ball and demonstrated her amazing gift of speed. Liesl set up some great plays which resulted in shots on goal. The Liberty goal keeper, Allison Miller, did a phenomenal job in goal, as always. She consistently blocked balls and packs a tremendous kick. Allison knows how to play the box. She is a great addition to the Liberty team. The final score of Saturday’s game was 3-1 with Syosset scoring one goal as the result of a penalty kick.

[img_assist|nid=29584|title=|desc=Erin Higgins controls the ball!|align=left|width=250|height=178|link=node] The Liberty ladies put the icing on the cake on Sunday at St. Pauls where they played a cup game against Hicksville. The beginning of the game started similar to Saturday’s, a lot of pressure was put on Hicksville and Liberty dominated. Garden City’s spectators got on their feet when Stephanie DiPierro scored the first goal of the game assisted by Erin Higgins who sent a clean and accurate pass from mid field. The combination of Erin’s pass and Stephanie’s excellent foot work and her ability to fake out two Hicksville defenders, brought the ball to the net and nailed it.

[img_assist|nid=29586|title=|desc=Caitlin Mallon and Liesl Jaye demonstrate their speed on the field.|align=right|width=130|height=189|link=node] In the second half of the game Paulette Mohacsi protected the goal to maintain the win. Her fearlessness and eye for the ball did not go unnoticed as she manned the goal. Liz Kane had some nice passes as well, she set up some key plays which resulted in shots on goal. The offense including Erin Vierengel, Liesl Jaye, and Stephanie DiPierro, continued to pound on Hicksville with Stephanie DiPierro scoring the second goal of the game. The defense was in check with Erin Higgins, Deirdre McGuinness, and Linda Attanasio. The rest of the offensive players including Charlotte Castronovo, Leisl Jaye, and Caitlin Mallon helped keep the lead by maintaining constant pressure. Mid fielders Nicole Meisemer, Lucy Donahue, Allison Miller and Marielle McCartin helped keep the score to 2-0.

The final goal of the game came from Caitlin Mallon. She secured the win with a tremendous left foot shot which deflected off the goalie and dropped into the net. This drew extended applause from the crowd. Hicksville scored one goal as a result of a penalty shot making the final score 3-1.

The Liberty team will be traveling to Windsor, CT this weekend and look forward to their next cup game and more victories GO LIBERTY!