2005 All-Long Island Field Hockey

BY KATRINA DOELL | STAFF WRITER

November 16, 2005

A look at the field hockey players who stood out on Long Island high school varsity squads in the fall of 2005.

SHAYLYN BLANEY
Ward Melville, Midfielder, Junior
Shaylyn Blaney is a Newsday hifive! All-Long Island selection for the second straight year. The versatile junior athlete also is a top lacrosse recruit. Blaney, who missed three games this season with a knee injury, had nine goals and five assists for the Patriots. Blaney is involved in every play, and she dominates opponents with her superior athleticism, coach Nancy Cole said. "She is probably one of the best athletes I've coached," Cole said.


ERIN BRENNAN
Garden City, Forward, Sophomore
Despite being a sophomore, Erin Brennan plays a significant role in Garden City's potent offense. She had seven goals and eight assists through 18 games while working with teammates and All-Long Island selections Katie Rose and Caitlin Mullins. "She is one of the most versatile players on the team," Garden City coach Diane Chapman said. Brennan serves as the fly on defensive corners, takes opponents off the ball and her excellent hand-eye coordination gives her a strong advantage on stick-stops on offensive corners.


JAIME BOURAZERIS
New Hyde Park, Midfielder, Junior
Jaime Bourazeris, a three-year starter, had seven goals and 10 assists for a team that went to the Nassau Class A final in its first year after moving up from Class B. She controls both offense and defense for the Gladiators and is determined to always play her game, coach Kori Civitillo said. "She sets the bar and knows what we have to get done," Civitillo said.


MARY BUSCHOR
Centereach, Forward, Junior
Coach Laura Melfi gets compliments on the sidelines from opposing coaches and even officials who are amazed by Mary Buschor's stick skills. Her touch on the ball is part of her sharp ball-handling instincts and her play on the left side is tough to beat. She is tough and quick, allowing her to blow right past opponents with the ball. "I love to watch her play," Melfi said. She had 15 goals and eight assists this season.


CATIE DeSTIO
North Shore, Forward, Junior
Catie DeStio had 21 goals and 15 assists this season to lead North Shore in scoring. An all-around athlete, DeStio also plays basketball and lacrosse. The three-year starter's speed and physical strength make her standout on the field. Coach Kellie Moritz said DeStio elevates the play of her teammates and is a motivational force.


J.J. DIAH
Northport, Goalie, Senior
J.J. Diah started every game for the past three years. She allowed 22 goals and had 184 saves in 19 games. Coach Deb Ferry is not impressed with Diah as a player but more so as a person. "She's committed to herself and to be the best person she can be. I'm sorry to see her go," Ferry said. What makes her is her confidence in playing in the circle and knowing when to play back in the goal. Ferry said Diah communicates well with her defenders. The one penalty stroke taken on Diah all season was by Newfield's Krystal Napolitano, and Diah saved it.


LIZZIE DRUMM
Friends Academy, Midfielder, Junior
Lizzie Drumm is a three-year starter for the Quakers, who won the Nassau Class C title this year. More of a defensive midfielder, Drumm gets to the ball from anywhere and knows what to do at anytime. "She has vision, field sense and composure beyond her age," Friends Academy coach Georgette Trott said. She serves as an important player on both the offensive and defensive corner units and the seven-on seven-unit. She has eight goals and five assists so far this season.


AMANDA HALL
Ward Melville, Midfielder, Senior
Amanda Hall is a three-starter and captain who played as a defensive midfielder. Hall had seven goals and eight assists through Nov. 10. She scored the game-winning goal in a Suffolk Class A semifinal victory over top-seeded Centereach. Coach Nancy Cole said Hall's experience allowed her to make good decisions offensively. She is a hard-hitter and serves as the Patriots' primary hitter on corners and is on the stroke team.


BECKY KAZAKS
Centereach, Midfielder, Senior> Becky Kazaks had her season ended before the playoffs. In the last game of the regular season on Oct. 27, when Centereach beat Ward Melville, 1-0, Kazaks collided with Ward Melville's Shaylyn Blaney as both players came hard to the ball and broke her collarbone. Her speed and strong stick skills made her a tough player all over the field. "Becky has passion and intensity," coach Laura Melfi said. "It's nice to coach someone with that dedication to the sport."


GENNA KOVAR
Hampton Bays, Midfielder, Sophomore> One can only imagine what hard-working Genna Kovar will do the next two years after a breakout sophomore campaign. She had 20 goals and five assists for team that went 8-5-1in the regular season. The speedy midfielder constantly weaved the ball through multiple defenders to put the ball in the cage. "Her stick work has caught up to her feet and that has been the difference for her this year," said Hampton Bays coach Diane Burkhardt.


CAITLIN MULLINS
Garden City, Midfielder, Junior
Caitlin Mullins led Garden City with 13 goals and seven assists. She is the team's main penalty-stroke threat, converting three of the four chances she had this season. Coach Diane Chapman said Mullins is a smart passer with great field presence. Mullins and Katie Rose can find each other on the field like few others and consistently pose a scoring threat. Mullins has a great reach that helps her take the ball away from opposing players.


KRYSTAL NAPOLITANO
Newfield, Forward, Senior
In Krystal Napolitano's fourth season as a starter she had 18 goals and 11 assists, bringing her career total to 47 and 37, respectively, and leading the team in goals. "She made my job easy," Newfield coach Kristen Dunton said. Napolitano's speed and aggression around the goal made her tough to stop. The second-year captain played wherever she was needed during a game.


CHRISTEN PICOLI
Friends Academy, Forward, Senior
Christen Picoli once again was an offensive force for Friends Academy. She had 23 goals, including three hat tricks, and 17 assists through Nov. 10. She topped her totals from last year: Nassau-leading 18 goals and 14 assists. The two-time Newsday hifive! All-Long Island selection is hard to defend even with double coverage because of her stealthiness and closeness to the ground. Defensively, she leads the team in blocks off of corners. "She's a power," coach Georgette Trott said.


JACKIE PLUNKETT
Smithtown West, Forward, Senior
First-year coach Terry Scott had high praise for Jackie Plunkett: "One of the best performances of stick work I've ever seen." But it's not just her stick work that amazed her coach and teammates, so did her dodging ability and game sense. The four-year player also was tough to read on the field and was intense, Scott said.


KATIE ROSE
Garden City, Midfielder, Senior
Katie Rose, the Trojans' captain, is a two-time Newsday hifive! All-Long Island selection. The center midfielder led her team in points with seven goals and 14 assists. Rose's stick work and knowledge of the game make her a top player, coach Diane Chapman said. Rose's leadership, communication and ball distribution made the Trojan run like a well-oiled machine. She was one of the key players to lead Garden City to a 12th straight Nassau title.


RACHEL TAYLOR
Southampton, Forward, Junior
Rachel Taylor, a left-winger, had a team high 10 goals and seven assists. She filled two important roles for the Mariners: the fly on defensive corners and the inserter on the offensive ones. She's a silent leader, letting her speed and dodging ability speak for herself, first-year coach Jessica Zukosky said. "She's dedicated and tenacious," Zukosky said.


KAITLIN WAGNER
Friends Academy, Goalie, Senior
Kaitlin Wagner is fun to watch. She's an athletic goalie who is fearless in the circle. She stopped 98 out of 120 shots this season. One play coach Georgette Trott recalled from this season that demonstrated Wagner's strength was when she broke up a 2-on-1 at the top of the circle against Carle Place in regular-season game. She can make split saves, kick saves, and she sets up the attack with 30-yard clearing passes. "I never have to worry with her back there," Trott said. "It's nothing I've had to teach her. She just knows what to do."


COACHES OF THE YEAR
DIANE CHAPMAN
Garden City
What can be said about "Chappy?" Diane Chapman has put Garden City field hockey on the map in her 14-year tenure with the Trojans accumulating a 224-21-21 record. This season her team went 19-0 through the Long Island championship game and defeated two-time defending champion Ward Melville. What has been so special to Chapman about this team is the intensity and the hard work the girls have put in this season and the leadership of the seniors. "They are a great bunch of girls," Chapman said. "The had it in their heads to go to the states, they really wanted to get there."


NANCY COLE
Ward Melville
At the beginning of the season, Nancy Cole didn't know how losing a strong senior core would effect the Patriots. But in her third year with the program, the Patriots found a way to its third straight Suffolk Class A title. "I knew they would work hard," Cole said. It has been another great season for the winningest field hockey coach in New York. "I look forward to practice," she said. "The girls are fun to be with and they work hard. As a coach, that's all you can ask for."