A plaque of cold and snow throughout March and April, then rain worthy of the Pacific Northwest, tormented the 2003 spring lacrosse season. Throughout it all the Farmingdale PAL Spirit of the Long Island Senior Girls Youth Lacrosse League's top conference lived up to their name. These seventh and eighth grade girls, who played in what many considered to be the best played junior high school-aged lacrosse league on the Island, proved all year long that they were the best of the best. They carried the spirit of Farmingdale girls lacrosse proudly and finished the season undefeated throughout the regular season and in two highly competitive tournaments. The girls should all be proud of their remarkable season as are their team supporters, parents and coaches.

The Spirit concluded their 2003 season by winning all three of their games at the annual LISGYLL Tournament in Garden City on Sunday, June 15, which was Father's Day. The girls first faced a Garden City team, which because of their small numbers were bolstered by a number of other teams' very good players. No matter, the Spirit won a very close game 13-12. Farmingdale was led offensively by three of their eighth grade captains, Kristin Jones, Jenna Block and Jillian Cerar. Jones had five goals and two assists while Jenna Block had three goals and one assist. Jillian Cerar, who has developed into an outstanding player, like her fellow captains, had two goals and an assist. Tara Gangarossa and Kristen DiLiello each scored one goal while Candace Rossi and Carolyn Psillos contributed one assist each.

The Spirit's second game was against an outstanding team from Ridgewood, NJ. The Spirit were victorious 13-10. Jones again led her team in scoring with four goals and two assists while Block put in three goals. Cerar had another big game with three goals and two assists while Candace Rossi also had a big game with one goal and an assist. Kristen DiLiello contributed a goal and an assist with Carolyn Psillos scoring one goal and Alyssa Dorsey getting a nice assist.

The third and final game of the tournament saw the Spirit take on the number one seventh grade team from Greenwich, CT. The result was an extremely convincing 13-6 Spirit victory. Jenna Block led the team's offense in the final game of the 2003 spring season with four goals and two assists. Katie Wood had her best and biggest game of the year with three goals and two assists. Jillian Cerar was again outstanding with one goal and three assists along with her superb groundball play and defensive hustle. Candace Rossi had one goal and an assist while Carolyn Psillos had one assist. Both Rossi and Jones controlled most of the draws throughout the game and the tournament at the center position.

The Spirit were fabulous throughout the regular season and tournament. As always they were led by team captain and defensive captain, Brittany White, who is as good a down low defender as the Farmingdale PAL girls lacrosse program has ever produced. Her defensive cohort, Melissa Crow was good at the beginning of the season, but just got better and improved all season long. Crow had a great tournament. Amanda Dorsey and Erin Forstrom also had a great season and tournament. Both of these strong down low defenders work very hard and contribute mightily to the Spirit's defensive excellence and double teaming prowess. Defensive wings, Tara Gangarossa and Alyssa Dorsey, also are two big reasons for the Spirit dominating defensive excellence. No one works harder at their defensive positions than these two young outstanding athletic lacrosse players. The Spirit defense continually not only stopped, but turned away opposing scoring threats with great defensive pressure that got the ball back for Farmingdale. The defense then almost always got the Spirit's strong transition game rolling up field. Then finally there was the last, and one of the best lines of defense, goalkeeper Brenna Dugan. She continually helped her team to victory all season long with her excellent play between the goal pipes. In the tournament she made nine, eight and 10 saves respectively to finish the season on a strong winning note. Kiera Murphy and Margaret Wheeler both played well coming up with a number of ground balls and hustled on both the defensive and offensive end of the field. Shannon Haas and Melissa Maier were unable to make the tournament on Father's Day and both of these superior athletes were sorely missed. Haas and Maier both had great seasons on the Spirit's midfield unit and will return next year, along with Rossi, Gangarossa, Alyssa Dorsey, Wood and Psillos, as leading members of the 2004 Spirit as they will rejoin their outstanding seventh grade teammates from Bob Davis' team this season.

Coaches Joe Fanning and George Psillos were proud of the team's undefeated season but particularly the way the girls played and progressed together as a team. The Spirit finished the rain-shortened regular season at 6-0 and went 4-0-1 at the Greenwich Tournament last month and 3-0 in the LISGYLL Tournament for an overall record of 13 wins and one tie. The Spirit's 2003 season was their best yet proving that they have grown into outstanding young lacrosse players who will continue to develop their already excellent lacrosse skills and athletic ability.

The fifth grade Forest Green Farmingdale PAL girls lacrosse team ended their season on a winning note this past Sunday against an undermanned team from Carle Place by the score of 10-4. Coaches Joe Rzempoluch, Brian Mulcahy and Dan Boltja were extremely happy about the outcome, but they were most pleased with the way the girls came together as a team. They displayed consistent sportsmanship and team play throughout their season. At this level, where games should not be considered a success by wins and losses, the girls have proven themselves not only a success by a 6-1-1 record, but also by the way they learned the game with fluent passing and ever improving catching. The team played a suffocating defense, where one girl relied on the other, and an offense where unselfish play was the rule.

On attack the girls were led by Ellie Boltja, Sarah Boltja, Lauren Connors, Fiona Grubb, Hannah LeTourneau, Allison Lindblad and Jackie Sonnenschein. Defensively Cara Fellin, Michele Mellina, Amy Neuberger, Alexa Musorofiti, Toni Roulet and Samantha Smith played tremendously throughout the year. In the midfield, Jordyn Hasemann, Brianna Kane, Sarah Mulcahy, Melanie Raso and Alexis Rzempoluch controlled the play and dominated possession of the ball. Last, but certainly not least, was Megan Planz who played brilliant throughout the season and was like a brick wall in the goal all season.

The coaches would like to congratulate the girls on a great season in which they played with heart and a thirst to get better at a very hard game to master. Be proud of your accomplishments and the coaches already are looking forward to next year. See ya at the picnic!