Oceanside Orange Crush-ed By Sparks

Shannon heads just wide

The Garden City Sparks (GU11) celebrated their finest Division 1 league victory on Saturday against tough division rival Oceanside Orange Crush. The Sparks came out flying as Erin Connolly hit the crossbar and Anne Blanco hit the post 2 minutes into the game. The Sparks also swarmed Oceanside defensively with Anne frustrating Oceanside's top player, while Sarah Galzerano, Shannon Callahan and Kate DeMarco shared defensive responsibilities against Oceanside's other offensive threat. Midway through the first half Caroline Beaty placed a free kick into the box that resulted in a mad scramble in front of the Oceanside goal. The ball eventually found its way into the goal for a Garden City 1-0 lead. Garden City continue to mount offensive pressure and won numerous corner kicks but Oceanside was up to the task. Tara DeAngelo and Brianna Maglio led the charge upfront, while Sarah, Shannon, Kate, Katherine Malhame and Taylor Carpentier controlled midfield play. The second half was a continuation of the first half with Haley O'Hanlon, Caroline Beaty and Emma Gallagher shutting down any and all Oceanside attacks. With about 10 minutes to go in the game Oceanside won a free kick straight out about twenty-four yards away from goal. Kaitlyn Gorman and the team up to this point had not allowed a goal in league play. This would certainly be one of the biggest test of the season. Oceanside's player was more than capable of striking the ball into the goal from this distance. The ball was struck with power and headed right for the top of the goal. Kaitlyn leapt and with all the skill of a world class keeper pushed the ball up enough for it to hit the crossbar. Oceanside never really threatened after and the game ended 1-0. The Garden City Sparks remain undefeated and unscored upon in league play. Their biggest challenge of the season will be this Saturday when they travel to Massapequa. Keep it going girls!

Kaitlyn's fantastic save

Coach Malhame and team