Garden City "Forces" The Action

The Garden City Force U-10 girl's soccer team picked up right where they left off in the Covanta Tournament by registering a 2-1 victory over the Hicksville Wildcats in their first game of the regular season. The Force, fresh off their impressive third place finish in the Covanta, controlled the action for most of the game and are really starting to come together as a team.

The Wildcats and the Force battled midfield for the first ten minutes of the game, feeling each other out and making few mistakes. Defenders Annie Randazzo, Lily Shannon and Shelby Rivielle neutralized any and all offensive attacks mounted by Hicksville. It was clear from the start that goals would come at a premium in this defensive slugfest.

After a great offensive attack started by Olivia Giarraputo and linemate Janine Schwendemann, the Force struck first. Annie Walsh netted the first goal of the regular season, sneaking a shot into the lower left corner to take a 1-0 lead. The Force had some scoring chances late in the first half, but despite the gritty play of forward Catherine Honan, the half ended 1-0.

The second half saw more of the same midfield standoff until Gabby Macoux ripped a shot past the Hicksville keeper to take a 2-0 lead. This game was far from over however as Hicksville answered with a scoring blast of their own to make the score 2-1. The Force then put the defensive clamps as they saw their lead starting to slip away.

Stellar defensive stops by Alana Macloed and Maddy McCabe frustrated the Wildcat attacks. When they did manage to squeek through the Force's defensive gauntlet, they were met with the stellar goaltending of Alicia Cristoforo. It looked as if the Force had put the game away for good late in the second half when gritty forward Jillian Minda scorched a shot past the Hickville netminder only to see the ball ricochet off the left post.

The nailbiting continued right to the final whistle, but the Force had worked too hard to see this game end in a tie. Continued offensive attacks, pinpoint passing and their impressive defense sealed the victory in this, their first ever travel soccer game. The Force will continue their roadtrip next Saturday against the Oyster Bay Strikers, looking to build on their impressive start.