Notre Dame Academy put itself in position to capture its first CHSAA Staten Island division championship in three seasons as it recorded a 3-0 CHSAA AA/Staten Island division victory over host St. Joseph by-the-Sea Thursday in Huguenot.
Just two days after tying the defending Island champion Vikings 2-2 at Owl Hollow, the Gators exploded for three second-half goals en route the pivotal win.
Not only did the Gators lock up the top seed in the CHSAA AA division with a 7-0-3 record, but they put themselves a win or tie away from capturing their first Island regular-season crown since 2014. NDA, which is 5-0-2 in the Island division, can clinch the title with a victory at Moore Catholic on Friday (4:30 p.m.).
Sea, meanwhile, locked up the second seed with a 6-1-3 mark in AA play. The Vikings, who are 5-1-2 on the Island, are currently tied with the Gators for the division lead with 17 points, but they have no games remaining.
"To put ourselves in a position to win the Island championship with a game like tonight is a testament to what we've been doing all season,'' said NDA coach Nick Senise. "We don't have a big roster this season, but we've got a talented bunch of kids who are committed. Everybody puts the team first and to be on the verge of the Island title is a validation to that point.''
NDA's second-half barrage included goals from Olivia Ferris, Julie Jastremski and Jackie D'Amico.
"This game was really important to us, especially since we didn't win on Tuesday,'' said junior Juliana Carrara, who is playing her first season on varsity. "We wanted to get the win so bad and to be in position to win the Island championship feels really good.''
PLAYERS OF THE GAME
The honor goes to junior midfielders Carrara and Julie Jastremski.
Carrara finished with a pair of assists, including the helper on the go-ahead goal, while Jastremski not only recorded a goal and assist, but produced a number of opportunities throughout the contest.
TURNING POINT
Following a scoreless first half that saw Sea goalie Stephanie Bruno (seven saves) and NDA netminder Daniella Cucuzza (six saves) make some nice stops and both teams hit the crossbar once, the Gators finally broke the ice 10 minutes into the second half.
That's when Carrara sent a middle-of-the-field through ball to the feet of Ferris, who gained control some 50 yards from the net straight on. Ferris went in on a semi-breakaway with a defender in tow and, upon entering the box, her point-blank shot was deflected by Bruno, but the ball bounced before sneaking inside the left post for a 1-0 lead.
"I saw (Ferris) make a run and I know she's really fast, so I chipped it over (the top of the defense) and once she got it, I knew she'd get a good shot,'' said Carrara. "She did a good job getting off the shot.''
The goal opened the floodgates for NDA. Carrara recorded her second assist on a left-side corner kick as Jastremeski, standing a yard or two off the goal line, outjumped everyone to head home the pretty feed at the 57-minute mark.
Just a few minutes later, D'Amico provided the final score when she converted a Jastremski left-side corner kick with a tapper in close.
NOTABLES
NDA's defense, led by Oormi Sivapatham, Sam Joseph, Melanie Albicocco and Julia Morris, did a solid job in front of Cucuzza ... The Vikings, meanwhile, received strong defensive play from Victoria Bruno and Jenna Sylvester ... NDA outshot Sea 13-11, including 7-2 in the second half ... The Gators had a 3-0 edge in corner attempts, cashing in on two of them ... NDA was called for eight fouls, Sea five ... Jastremski and Sea's Serena Rucchio nearly broke the scoreless tie in the first half, but both hit the crossbar. Sea's Sam Monteforte was robbed by Cucuzza in close while teammate Alexa Geloso just missed when her blast from 30 yards out bounced just wide of the left post right before the halftime whistle.
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