Beacon celebrates its victory over Bronx Science. (Denis Gostev)
Beacon celebrates its PSAL Class A championship. (Denis Gostev)
Jennifer Angione made her intentions clear to teammates after a scoreless first half. Beacon’s star forward wanted the ball and in a very specific way.
“Jenny made a point about how she knew she could beat all the defenders back there and she said, ‘Guys if you just play a through ball over my head I promise you I will score,’” sweeper Liza Kapelus said.
No one will be calling Angione a liar.
The senior found the back of the net twice in the second half, both times beating the Bronx Science defense to long through balls up the middle. It was all the offense No. 2 Beacon needed to top the top-seeded Wolverines in the PSAL Class A girls soccer final Saturday on Randall’s Island. The title is the Blue Demons’ third in five straight championship game appearances and their first time winning back to back.
“It’s just amazing to be in the finals all four years,” Angione said. “I don’t know what it feels like not to be in the finals. To win two years in a row and be a senior, it’s really exciting. It’s a great feeling.”
She said there was a touch of apprehensiveness as she unleashed the shot on her first goal. She was afraid it would go over the net from an awkward angle. Angione sprinted onto a long Alex Easton through ball up the middle of the field. Bronx Science defender Jackie Wideen knocked the ball free with a slide tackle, but Angione tracked it down to the right inside the box and scored to the upper left corner in the 57th minute. She added her second in the 61st off a feed from Tyler Sloan, who she embraced in the game’s closing seconds.
“I’ve never seen her like this,” Easton said of Angione. “She was just so tenacious going after every single ball. I’m so proud of her.”
Beacon (17-0-0) came into the game wanting to avenge a 1-0 non-league loss to the Wolverines (15-1-0), who is one of their biggest rivals. Kapelus said seniors from last year’s team were telling them they couldn’t lose this game.
The Beacon defense of Kapelus, Emilie Richard, Sharon Greene and Maryann Russo extended the team’s playoff shutout streak to nine straight games going back to the final twoyears ago that saw 90 minutes of scoreless soccer before Bronx Science won on penalty kicks.
The Wolverines best chances came early in the first half. Polly Carr made a charging stop on Gianna Finz in the 10th minute. The freshman took a sliding shot to the right post in the 30th minute that Carr gobbled up.
“The Liza and Emilie combination is amazing,” Blue Demons coach Kevin Jacobs said. “Emilee is so good and aggressive and Liza just has wonderful timing.”
The last five seasons have seen Beacon dominance in the PSAL. Jacobs didn’t want to call it a dynasty, but compared where the program is now to where schools like New Dorp, Tottenville and Stuyvesant were in years past when they were winning titles and in the finals nearly every year.
“It’s a way of saying that our program has raised itself to a level where we are not happening into the finals,” he said. “We know how to work our way and get there. The girls set the standard for themselves. To not be at this game would be a disappointment.”
There was nothing of the sort for Beacon, just hugs, cheers, smiles and another PSAL banner.
“The whole year we wanted it,” Easton said. “I knew we would get it because we had an amazing team this year. I’ve been waiting for this moment.”