By Ted Waddell
ROSCOE — September 22, 2000 — Last year, the Roscoe Blue Devils girls’ soccer team booted its way to Western Sullivan League (WSL) and Section IX — Class D championships.
This season, the last champs of the now-defunct WSL are in a new league — the Orange County League (OCL) Division VI — and undergoing a few growing pains as they rebuild.
“We lost a lot of key positions, so we’re reorganizing and deciding who’s going to fit those positions” said veteran Roscoe coach Mary Austin.
According to Austin, four booters came up from modifieds to fill in some vacant soccer shoes this year: Morgan Genner, Amber Grey, Rosie Meisner and Chrisie Rosencranse.
“It takes a while to meet that challenge,” she said.
The Blue Devils millennium edition features four captains: a pair of seniors (Danielle Austin and Melissa Gayron) and couple of juniors (Amanda Huck and Jessie Lake).
During Monday afternoon’s OCL Division VI game against the Lady Indians of Sullivan West/Narrowsburg, it was a case of a rebuilding team facing a young, inexperienced squad as the home team booters defeated the visitors 10-0.
The Blue Devils scored seven goals in the first half, although tally number three was called back after officials double checked the rulebook.
Danielle Austin scored unassisted at 35:07. At 32:28, Diana Failla put one into the net on an assist by Austin.
Staci Fersch stepped up to the line for penalty kick at 30:12, and her ball bounced off the crossbar. She pounced on the loose ball and put it in, but during halftime the coaches and refs double checked the rulebook, and the refs ruled that the goal was disallowed, as someone other than the penalty kicker must touch the deflected ball.
At 21:54 the seemingly unstoppable Austin scored again, followed at 19:11 by a Kelly Ahart header into the net on an assist by Danielle Sullivan.
Austin scored again at 11:42 and with 5:38 remaining in the first half, Sullivan put the ball into the cage on an assist by Rosie Meisner, one of the team’s hard charges up from modifieds.
Austin led off the second half scoring with an unassisted goal at 27:34.
Ahart put one into the net at 15:49, followed at 10:01 by a Failla goal on an assist from Fersch.
With 5:04 remaining on the game clock, Ahart scored on a subtle header that snuck into the net on a crossing by Fersch.
“It was real nice touch,” said coach Austin of the game’s final score.
According to Linda Pomes, second year coach of the Indians varsity booters, her charges are “young and inconsistent,” but she thinks that as the season goes on, the “girls are going to improve at lot as long as they don’t get down on themselves.”
“There are moments when we play really well and think on the field,” she said. “And then we have moments when we can’t seem to get it together.”
SW/Narrowsburg (1–5 overall) is fielding a young team this year. There are only two seniors on the squad: Melanie Hector and Beth Meyer.
In blanking their opponents during Monday’s action, the Blue Devils (3-2 overall) won their first divisional game of the season.
“I think the game went well,” said Austin. “We’ve been working on passing and ball control. It’s a new mix of girls.”
What about the rest of the season? “I think it will shape up,” she said. “I think they will get more experienced as they season wears on. At this point, we’re kind of bouncing around with goalies, deciding who’s going to fit that spot the best.”
Monday’s stats: Shots on goal (RCS 36, Narrowsburg 9); saves ( RCS 7, Narrowsburg 14); Corner kicks (RCS 6, Narrowsburg 3).