SOMERS, N.Y - On Friday, Sept. 5, Somers and Horace Greeley found themselves locked in a defensive battle at Somers High School. With the score tied 1-1 and just eight minutes left, Somers lined up for a penalty shot. First-year coach Brian Lanzetta faced a choice.
“It’s early to show your cards,” he said. But with a league matchup against a Class AA team, Lanzetta made the call. “We’re not going for the tie. We’re going for the win.”
The gamble paid off. A perfectly executed set play put Lindsay Ulaj on the receiving end of the decisive goal, lifting the Tuskers to victory.
The contest opened with an early spark from Lily Mazzella. “Marley (Hawkins) kicked a long ball to me, and I ran right through the defender,” she recalled. “I kicked it (at the goalie). It bounced right back to me, and I knocked it in.”
Somers led 1-0 at 38:07, but from there, defenses tightened. Ashley Kuchinsky disrupted a dangerous Greeley push with a fearless header, while Ulaj swarmed an attacker in the box to regain possession. Caitlin Fitts and Natalie D’Ippolito added key stops as the Tuskers kept Greeley at bay.
Somers nearly doubled the lead before halftime when Ulaj stole a loose ball and fed Alessia Matteo, whose shot banged off the crossbar. The Tuskers continued to press, but Greeley’s defense held firm.
The Quakers finally broke through midway into the second half, heading home a cross to tie the score at 1-1 with 20:20 remaining. Even so, Lanzetta praised his back line. “In my eyes, that was their only good chance,” he said. “Liv made some great plays coming out, while (Caitlin) Fitts, D’Ippolito, Marley Hawkins, Kuchinsky and Ava (Kovalyk) are unbelievable. They are a young core and have really pushed our seniors on attack.”
Those words proved prophetic. With just over eight minutes left, Mazzella fought through contact to draw a penalty kick. On the left side, the Tuskers lined up with Mazzella, Ulaj, and Hawkins as potential shooters. Mazzella tapped the ball, Hawkins cut to the goal, and Hanford slid over to punch a pass through the defense. Ulaj pounced on it for the game-winner.
“Our great Coach Brian drew up that play,” Ulaj said.
Now 2-0 to start the season, the Tuskers are rallying behind their new coach. “We just want to make it special for him,” Ulaj added.
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