- By LaMarr Peters
- Sports
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The 2009 version of the Lansing Lady Cats Girls Varsity Soccer Team has seamlessly moved to a new era. Gone are former All-State and 5-year varsity players Megan and Rachael Palladino. What remains are 14 three-time defending Conference and Section winning champions. Add to the mix two brand new varsity players and what you have is a hungry, experienced, driven and committed team of footballers. The ladies are up to their stone-cold defending and mesmerizing attacking best as they have raced to a 4-0 record in league play. The team in wins over Union Springs, Southern Cayuga, Groton and Trumansburg has amassed 46 goals and surrendered one. Early season fireworks to say the least as the ladies once again find themselves on the allusive quest to be the best. Lets meet the squad.
83. That is the number of goals scored by the attacking trio of seniors Ellyn Grant-Keane and Mary Bacorn along with junior Kathryn Hornibrook last season. These three have already scored half of the teams goals this year and will be counted on to provide most of the offensive punch this year. All three possess game changing technical abilities in front of the opponents goal and present very different threats to teams. Kathryn the powerful, Ellyn the passer and Mary the shooter, have proven to be a deadly combination.
The Links. Providing service and support to the attackers and relief and outlets to the defense are the hard running and pinpoint passing midfielders. Seniors Lydia Warkentin and Ashley Fleming, juniors Taylor Jordan and Nina Lindberg and sophomores Tiffanie McIntosh and Joanna Barrett have been keepers of the ball for team. The possession style offense, with its quickstrike capabilities, depends on this groups cohesion, vision and patience. Capable of dominating the ball and the entire middle of the field, the "links" have held this explosive unit together.
The Guardians. The best offense sometimes is a teams defense and in the Lady Cats case this proves true. Seniors Katy Bland and Kelsey Redmond, juniors Cassie Palladino and Sarah Eisenhut and sophomores SabrinaTilton and Carlene Fields have not only limited the first four opponents to less than 10 shots but have been the teams ball winners and the starting point of nearly every attack. Sure in their tackles and confident with the ball at their feet, the "guardians" will be counted on to continue to keep foes away from the Cats' goal and supply a steady flow of balls to their mates.
The Captain. Senior tri-captain M.C. Barrett returns for her 4th year between the posts for Lansing. The Brown University bound goalkeeper is the teams last defender, its first attacker and its most vocal. A 2nd team All-Stater last year, Barrett will once again be counted on to be the coach on the field and provide the leadership needed to help push the team forward in its quest to be the best.
The Lady Cats host defending Class C State Co-Champions Marathon today at Sobus Field at 4:30.
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