See this story at BrooklynDaily.com.
By Joseph Staszewski
Brooklyn Daily
Brooklyn proved to be one of the city’s most competitive boroughs in girls’ soccer. Fort Hamilton prevailed for the third-straight year in a wild, three-team race with Grand Street and Telecommunications for the Public School Athletic League’s Brooklyn A-III division title. St. Edmund won its second-straight Brooklyn-Queens Division II diocesan crown by besting Brooklyn rival Bishop Kearney in the final. Poly Prep and Fontbonne Hall also had strong seasons. The following are the players that made it all happen:
All-Brooklyn Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year: Cansu Usta, Fort Hamilton
The Tigers won a third-straight division crown and Usta is a big reason why. The senior midfielder helped make up for the loss of the graduated Maria Pettet by scoring 36 goals and dishing out 27 assists. She scored twice in late season wins over Telecom and Grand Street. Usta also had two goals and an assist in a playoff upset of Queens’s Benjamin Cardozo. Her speed and skill with the ball made her a tough cover and a threat from anywhere on the field.
All-Brooklyn Girls’ Soccer Coach of the Year: Charles Young, Telecommunications
Making the jump from Class B play up to the A in the Public School Athletic League is never an easy one. Young and the Yellow Jackets took their bumps last season, going 3–7–3. Telecom made a stark turnaround this year, going 12–2–2, finishing third and five points out of first place in a hotly contested Brooklyn A-II division. Young has turned Telecom into a major player on the Brooklyn soccer landscape.
All-Brooklyn Girls’ Soccer First Team:
Midfielder Jocelyn Aguilar, Grand Street Campus
The super sophomore improved off her freshman season by scoring 32 goals and recording 27 assists. Aguilar scored four times to beat Telecom late in the year and tallied a goal and an assist to help upset Francis Lewis in the postseason.
Midfielder Delaina Allegretti, Fontbonne Hall
Allegretti was the offensive spark plug at midfield for the Bonnies. Her leadership and ball skills made her a strong fit to execute first-year coach Francesco Sarrica’s more patient style of play.
Defense Kelly Doyle, St. Edmund
Doyle was the backbone of the Eagles defense. The senior and four-year varsity player brought a smarts and toughness to the backline that made goals hard to come by for opponents.
Forward Margaret Edwards, Leon Goldstein
Edwards significantly increased her production with the graduation of star Pamela Wishart. The junior tallied 28 goals and had nine assists after scoring just three times last season. She will be one of the division’s top players moving forward.
Midfielder Melissa Gonzalez, Telecommunications
The junior matured into the Yellow Jackets’ leading scorer. Gonzalez scored 25 times and dished out 13 assists. She had a hand in all three scores to help Telecom rally to tie Grand Street.
Forward Halima Matthews, Brooklyn Friends
The freshman and second-year varsity player was a scoring dynamo. Matthews tallied 37 goals and scored four in the Independent School Athletic League title game to led Brooklyn Friends to a second-straight crown.
Goalkeeper Rigopoula Nasopoulos, Fort Hamilton
It’s hard to have Fort Hamilton’s success with out a big-time goalie like Nasopoulos. She stopped nearly 90 percent of the shots she faced (151), including making 12 saves in a playoff win against Cardozo.
Midfielder Kate Oliver, Fontbonne Hall
Strong, steady, and effective are the best way to describe Oliver’s play. The senior stopper was the first line of the Bonnies defense, but was many times the player beginning her team’s counterattack.
Forward Kellie O’Neil, St. Edmund
O’Neil was as clutch as they come for St. Edmund, thanks to her speed and scoring touch. The junior tallied 19 goals, including the Eagles’ lone score in the championship game — while battling the flu.
Forward Natalie Salazar, Grand Street Campus
The junior formed a dangerous 1-2 scoring punch with Jocelyn Aguilar. Salazar was an offensive catalyst with her 33 goals and 17 assists to help Grand Street to a second-place finish.
Midfielder Jane Tewksbury, Poly Prep
Tewksbury was the glue for the Blue Devil’s squad. The senior controlled the game’s pace and orchestrated the offense from midfield. Much of the Poly offense started with her.
Honorable Mention
Goalkeeper Concetta D’Angelo Bishop Kearney
Forward Tiffany Gibson, Abraham Lincoln
Forward Viviana Gonzalez, Franklin D. Roosevelt
Goalkeeper Julia Hanss, Poly Prep
Defense Christina Heyer, Bishop Kearney
Defense Courtney Lind, Fontbonne Hall
Defense Alexandra McGuire, Fontbonne Hall
Forward Andrea Moonesar, Sheepshead Bay
Midfielder Katie O’ Donnell, St. Savior
Defense Fawhn Ogle, Grand Street Campus
Goalkeeper Sarah Rebe Panitz, Brooklyn Tech
Forward Kevina Shalvey, St. Saviour
Midfielder Emilie Sauvayre, Poly Prep
Midfielder Linda Tiu, Telecommunications
Midfielder Sarah Van Horn, Packer Collegiate