Seidman-to-Kelly propels Commack
The best-kept secret in Suffolk County girls soccer is out for Commack.
When Allison Seidman lines up for a corner kick, her eyes are focused on one player, Katie Kelly, and she doesn’t keep that to herself.
“Right before I kick it, I always scream ‘Katie’ and she’s always there,” Seidman said. “No one catches on.”
That may not be the case for long as the pair connected on two corner-kick goals in Commack’s 4-1 victory over host Sachem East Monday in Suffolk I girls soccer.
“Set pieces are insane right now between [Allison] and Katie,” coach Tracie Morenberg said. “They’re in a groove that’s unreal. They can find each other, they’re usually good timing wise and that’s hard to find, so I’m very lucky with that.”
And Kelly isn’t afraid to put her body on the line, as Morenberg added the junior is constantly leaping off the ground to make plays for the team.
“I just kind of close my eyes,” Kelly said, “and whatever it hits, I’ll pay for it later.”
With the score tied at 1 after Allison Rinfret scored off an assist from Brooke Papele for Sachem East (4-5), Kelly sensed that someone needed to make a big play. When she saw Seidman send in her corner kick with 30:54 left in the game, Kelly was determined to finish find the back of the net. She added her second goal off a header a little more than five minutes later.
“I knew we needed it because they tied it up and we needed someone to take it away,” Kelly said. “So today was just my day.”
Cassie Lagner scored the game’s first goal for Commack (6-1-2) from 35 yards with 19:37 left in the first half and Julie Watson added the final goal off an assist from Kelly with 9:03 left in the game.
The Commack back line, including Abigail Meneses, Violet Ferraro, Olivia Farrell and Lagner, was key to help control possession, with Alexa Mazza making eight saves.
“This is a really big win for us because after we lost to Patchogue-Medford, we knew in our minds we had to win every game,” Seidman said. “So this is just as big as any other game would be.”
And even though Seidman and Kelly’s play would seem they spend hours working on corner kicks, the chemistry has formed more organically.
“We don’t really practice it, I just always look for her and she’s always open,” Seidman said. “She knows how to finish it well so she’s always in the right spot.”
