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Sports

Wantagh Girls Soccer Off to Solid Start

The Lady Warriors are off to 2-1-2 start in 2011.

The Wantagh girls soccer team is receiving contributions so far in 2011 from both veterans and younger payers.

The Lady Warriors (2-1-2) have nine seniors and seven underclassmen that are sophomores, freshmen and even in middle school.

“The upperclassmen are awesome," said Wantagh girls soccer head coach James Polo. "They really make the kids feel welcome, they continually encourage them and they realize the best people are going to play...They bought into the system and that’s something I’m proud of them for.”

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This past Tuesday, both Wantagh's veterans and younger players stepped up in an impressive 4-2 victory on the road at Manhasset. Down 1-0 at halftime, senior captain Katherine Sneddon scored in the 46th minute to tie the score for Wantagh. Just a minute later, the Lady Indians took the lead right back.

That turn of events sparked something in the Lady Warriors to go for the win. In the 56th minute, junior Brenna Connolly scored a goal to tie the score for a second time in the game. Two minutes later, it was time for those middle school girls to shine through.

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Eighth grader Nikki Sliwak scored the go-ahead goal just before the 60th minute, putting Wantagh ahead 3-2. She nearly added another goal minutes later. In the 73rd minute, another eighth grader in Francesca Venezia sent in a perfect cross to Connolly for a big insurance goal.

"I know everyone wanted it on the team, so we all gave it our 100 percent effort out there,” said Connolly. “We definitely have progressed throughout the beginning of the season until now and I think we are going to keep getting better and better. 

Wantagh's first win this season came in a 6-2 drubbing of Floral Park in the season opener, where Venezia scored a hat trick in her varsity debut. The Lady Warriors recorded ties at West Hempstead (1-1) and at Clarke (3-3) as well.

“They never give up and they just prove to me that they have the heart and the desire to be quality players out there,” said Polo. “I’m expecting us to really take control and really give our best effort to get a conference championship and that’s our goal from the beginning of the season.”

After finishing last season with a 5-7-0 record and short of a playoff berth, Wantagh is looking at a turnaround season. Main competition in the conference figures to be Island Trees, who is 6-1-0, and Clarke, who is 4-0-2.

Wantagh will play their next game on the road at neighborhood rival Seaford this Monday evening at 7 p.m. before hosting Bethpage two days later at 4 p.m.

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