On Saturday, June 10, the Garden City Tornadoes (Girls U-13 soccer) presented their finest display of teamwork to date, defeating the New Hyde Park Lady Cougars by a score of 1-0. It was 96 degrees at the manicured Long Island Soccer Park in Plainview where the occasional breeze was greatly appreciated. The New Hyde Park team had been undefeated until this time making the Tornado victory even sweeter.

In the first half, goalie Nicole Perrotta made numerous saves impressing the crowds with her quick responses, anticipating the placements of shots on goal. The play was back and forth and it was evident both teams were hungry to excel.

The Tornadoes' exceptional sweepers Katie Gardner and Krystie Piscopo distinguished themselves by supporting the fullbacks and making a barricade the Lady Cougars could not penetrate despite a strong New Hyde Park offense. Without this show of force the game could have gone another direction entirely.

Janie Burke, the left forward, can always be counted on to outrun her opponents and create scoring opportunities. She used her considerable speed to advance the ball and had beautiful shots on goal.

Katie Rose saved her best game for last. She seemed to come out of nowhere both offensively and defensively. Her passes were crisp and her coverage all encompassing.

Of special note, left fullbacks Brigid Moore and Kaitlin Hipworth came up with huge boots upfield to thwart a determined New Hyde Park offense. Amanda Le Sueur and Ann Kemen completed the defense on the right side with a relentlessness not often witnessed.

Halfbacks Amanda Russo, Nicole Diller and Krista Tenaglia played flawlessly and contributed to the team's ultimate success. This trio consistently marked their opponents and led the Tornado charges into the Cougar's end.

As the heat continued to soar amazingly so did the Tornado resolve. At the end of the half the score was still 0-0 with each team ready for more.

The Tornadoes' goalie in the second half was Clare Hartigan. For a girl who only plays this position occasionally she was indeed remarkable. The New Hyde Park team was now clearly frustrated. After firing a plethora of shots on goal, many amidst confusion and scrambling at the net, Hartigan never faltered under intense pressure.

Carrie Long, who seems comfortable in all positions, contributed her resourcefulness on both ends of the field. She had a breakaway as center forward, and also played center and right fullback.

Montse Caccamo as right halfback created a maelstrom and seized the ball away from the Cougars depositing the ball up to her forwards. Kara Kelly prevailed with her usual standard of excellence.

The "Taz" recipient of the game was Janine Lind. Lind was the right forward whose adroitness and cunning perplexed the NHP defense as she charged upfield. Congratulations Janine!

It was about half way through the second half that a dazzling 30 yard shot by Mary Oakes soared perfectly over the goalie's hands. This put the Tornadoes on the scoreboard and ultimately secured this important win.

The remarkable aspect of this particular game was that each player contributed each time they were called upon and the teamwork was instinctual. This hard fought win resulted because of the efforts of all, with the outstanding talent being the team itself. Congratulations Tornadoes and Coaches Oakes, Hartigan, and Gardner. Job well done.