Q&A with Northport coach
Northport's Kristi Abbate (9) advances the ball with an overhead kick in the second half. (Nov. 9, 2011) Credit: Joseph D. Sullivan
When it came to Northport girls soccer over the past few seasons, a sentence that started with the words Kristi Abbate commonly ended with the words Rosy Hayes.
The chemistry between Abbate, the playmaker, and Hayes, the finisher, created arguably the most dangerous tandem in Long Island, as they combined for 22 goals and 13 assists this season. They led Northport to a League II title with a 12-1-1 record and carried the team to its first county championship game in five years. But the duo came up just short of a county title as Northport fell 1-0 to Ward Melville on Wednesday.
The Tigers had no trouble creating opportunities but they couldn’t manage to get one past the Ward Melville defense and keeper Ally Ramos, who had 15 saves. The Northport defense, led by senior captain Sara Ronde and sophomore keeper Jessica Rom, who had five saves, also held their own against a talented Ward Melville team that accounted for both Northport losses this season.
Abbate moves on to George Washington University and Hayes to Loyola, but they leave the team in the capable hands of Cortney Fortunato, Natasha Albaneze, Aaliya Ingram, Kristin Desmond and others.
Newsday caught up with Northport coach Aija Gipp to reflect on the county championship game and the season:
