Shelter Island School soccer team kicks off new season
BY NATALIE MAMISASHVILI
For five seniors, the soccer field represents a final season. For a trio of incoming 8th-graders, it’s just the beginning.
Seniors Evan Weslek, Henry Springer, Ari Waife, Abraham Roig, and Cayman Morehead return to the field for their final year, along with newcomer 8th-graders Kevin Alvarado, Emmanuel Mendez Gregorio, and Zachary Hermosura.
“We have some very talented 8th-graders,” Coach Chris Conrardy said in an interview with the Reporter after the team’s home opener last week. The so-called newbies of the team blend nicely with the veteran players, he added. Captains sophomore Ryan Sanwald and seniors Weslek and Springer bring three and four years of playing experience to guiding the first-years.
Additional new players include sophomore Jayden Frias, freshman Joe Rasmussen, and sophomore Lucas Reiter.
Conrardy’s goals for this season are to play a structured 80 minutes of soccer with good headspace, positioning on the field, and endurance with a small squad. “The score doesn’t matter as long as we put in the effort,” he said.
Opening their season at home on Sept. 8, the team played a determined game against Riverhead Charter. Having only one sub and a bench full of new players was a tough challenge, but they made it out of the other side, falling only 2-1.
Kevin Alvarado, who plays center midfield, scored a goal after a swift pass from Cayman Morehead. Looking back, Coach Conrardy presented Alvarado as the MVP of his first game. “He was playing the most important role on the field. Both offense and defense as an 8th-grader, pretty crazy,” he recalled.
Coach Conrardy reflected after their first match, “Even though we lost we played well and, sportsmanship-wise, a very gentlemanly game.”
Following their opening game, the team had their first away game on Sept. 14 against William Floyd. They played a tenacious match and won 1-0. Morehead scored the only goal of the day as a result of his corner kick, which they had been honing during their practices.
Goalkeeper Joe Rasmussen was declared the MVP of this game. Coach Conrardy said, “I’d really love to highlight the play of Joe. He played unbelievably and got a shutout,” blocking 10 shots.
The coach continued, “The younger players also did well — they played a full 80 minutes like we were setting out to do. That game, we met our goal.”
Already Coach Conrardy’s target was met so, in addition to his prior goals, he also wants to “work on our defense and our breakout because we were a little outplayed in the second half due to our fatigue, but still they held strong and got a win.”
As the season rolls on, it will be exciting to see veterans leading and newcomers, freshmen, sophomores, and juniors stepping up on the field. The team will face the Southampton Mariners on Thursday, Sept. 24, at 4 p.m. at Fiske Field. Come out and support your Islanders.
