Keeping sharp on the soccer field

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The Town of Hempstead girls’ soccer summer league has served as a tremendous outlet for high school athletes for more than two decades and continues to do so as teams try to set the tone for a strong regular season.

However, last year began a branching off with the establishment of the Nassau County High School Coaches Association Summer League. In its second year, it features 14 teams spread over two different sites and kicked off during the last week of June with games at Bellmore-JFK and Cold Spring Harbor.

“It’s been really positive and we expanded to a north shore location this year to keep the travel to a minimum for some teams,” said Mepham coach Janine Bizelia, who along with former West Hempstead coach Mike Scaturro poured the foundation for the new league, which offers a few twists. 

Games consist of two 25-minute halves and are played on a shortened field with a condensed lineup of 7 field players on each side plus goalkeepers. Compared to a standard lineup for a high school game, the field has six fewer bodies. “It’s a quicker game,” Bizelia said. “I think the kids like the wide-open field.”

Mepham, which reached the Nassau Class A semifinals last fall before losing a tough decision to eventual champion North Shore, has looked strong so far with comfortable wins over Freeport and Wantagh. Other teams competing at the Bellmore location include Kennedy, Hicksville, Valley Stream North, West Hempstead, Seaford and MacArthur. North Shore, Cold Spring Harbor, Port Washington, Great Neck South and Syosset comprise the new location group.

The playoffs will be held Aug. 7 (Cold Spring Harbor) and 14 (Bellmore), respectively, with qualifiers participating in 30-minute games. Each site features a five-team tournament.

A year ago, North Shore, which also competed in the Town of Hempstead league, used the summer action as a springboard to bigger things in the fall. The Lady Vikings, coached by Lauren Gotta, captured the county Class A championship with a 4-2 victory over Manhasset in the finals. 

Defending the title for North Shore will be that much tougher with Calhoun’s move from Class AA to A. Mepham, despite losing its leading scorer, is also expected to pose a serious threat to the throne along with Manhasset, Wantagh and perennial powers Garden City and South Side. There are seven conferences featuring Class A schools, plus ‘B’ representatives Cold Spring Harbor and Wheatley. Massapequa, which defeated Calhoun in last year’s final, 1-0, remains the team to beat in AA with East Meadow as a top contender. Hicksville, Port Washington, Syosset, Farmingdale and Baldwin round out the top AA conference.