JIM MACLEAN PHOTOS
Clockwise from top left, Captain Ava Shuster looks to make a pass. Natalie Mazzuca drills a long shot at Yorktown tournament. Elizabeth Fortune crosses the ball for Fox Lane. Michaela Kaltsas clears on defense for the Foxes.
By JIM MACLEAN
The Fox Lane girls varsity soccer team was fired up and it showed on the field as the Foxes squared off against Arlington B in the consolation game of the Yorktown Tournament Sept. 14.
After falling to Mamaroneck in the first round of the tournament, Fox Lane exploded for six goals and cruised to a 7-0 win in the consolation game.
Fox Lane followed up that victory with another 7-0 win on the road at Ramapo on Monday as the Foxes improved to 3-2 overall on the season.
“We were a little disappointed after Mamaroneck, so they wanted to come out strong today and they did,” Fox Lane coach Fabian Videla said after the win over Arlington B. “That was a good win for us. It’s early and we have a tough league playing three or four games a week. We’ll have some good games, some tough games, as long as we keep improving every week.”
Everyone got involved and played a solid first half to take control of the game on Saturday, with Amanda Mazzuco leading the way with three quick goals, one of them assisted by her twin sister, Natalie. Lauren Spolansky had a goal and an assist. Elizabeth Fortune and Nora Dooley each scored a goal, while Amanda Griffin had two assists and Brynn Anthony also had an assist.
Natalie Mazzuco finished off the scoring as she drilled a long shot for an unassisted goal in the second half to make it 7-0. Berit Rose made four saves in goal, and Amanda Mazzuco came in to record two saves and combine for the shutout victory.
Videla credited his three senior captains (Rose, Griffin and Ava Shuster) for leading the way and firing up the team to bounce back after the loss to Mamaroneck.
“Our captains are doing a great job. Our goalie, Berit Rose, is keeping us in the game on defense. Ava Shuster in the middle distributing the ball all over the field, and Amanda Griffin on the outside creating offense. A lot of our offense goes through the twins, Amanda and Natalie Mazzuco. Natalie starts it back on defense, and Amanda had three goals in the first 10 minutes today and we rested her after that. She’s a difference maker.”
Fox Lane kept up the intensity into its next game as the Foxes went on the road to Rockland County and cruised to another 7-0 win, this time over host Ramapo.
Once again, it was a fast start as the Foxes jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first half. Jillian Kurchack and Fortune each scored a pair of goals to lead the way. Amanda Mazzuco scored a goal off an assist from her sister Natalie. The captain duo combined for a goal as Griffin scored off an assist from Shuster. Michaela Kaltsas finished off the scoring with a second half goal off an assist from Kurchack.
Fox Lane recorded its first win of the season earlier in the week, Sept. 9, at home with a 5-1 victory over Clarkstown South. Amanda Mazzuco scored three goals for the hat trick to lead the Foxes to the win.
The Foxes hope to keep up their winning ways in the midst of a rough stretch in the schedule with eight-straight games on the road before they finally get to return home Monday, Sept. 30, to host rival Horace Greeley.