Sports

Beacon’s Angione caps career with title, superb playoff performance

Kevin Jacobs saw a difference in Jennifer Angione when the playoffs hit and it had nothing to do with her goal scoring.

The Beacon coach felt the senior forward wasn’t as aggressive as she could have been at times during the regular season when she was less inclined to come back and mix it up on defense. That changed in the postseason with the end of her career approaching and a second straight title within reach.

“As we have gotten into the playoffs her level of play has gone up that way,” Jacobs said. “She is working hard both ways. She is helping collect the ball. She is more ready to get in there and get physical, be knocked down or knock down another player. That makes a difference.”

A difference maker is exactly what Angione was during Beacon’s run to a third PSAL Class A title in five straight trips to the final. She scored seven of the team’s 19 playoffs goals. Angione netted a hat trick, predicted by goalkeeper Polly Carr, in the quarterfinals, and scored the first goal and had an assist in a semifinal win over Francis Lewis. On the grandest stage, she scored both goals to help the Blue Demons beat rival Bronx Science in the final Sunday.

“I was just really exciting to score that first goal,” Angione said. “Once our team scored one goal our momentum was going to keep going.”

It was she and Jacobs who decided it would be best to work the sides to open up a long through ball up the middle to her. The strategy worked on both goals. On the first goal of the final she had to give an extra effort after the ball was knocked away. Angione quickly ran it down at the top of the box along the right side and lofted it over the keepers head to the opposite post.

“It was a weird angle,” Angione said. “I didn’t know what to do, so I just popped it over her and it worked.”

Fellow senior Alex Easton talked about how proud she was of Angione and she’s never seen her so tenacious. Angione started last season at midfield and was moved to forward after Tyler Sloan got hurt. She hasn’t left since and Beacon has two titles to show for it.

“She has changed this team so much,” Easton said. “She is so confident up there.”