Rockland girls soccer: Albertus Magnus standout leads the 2023 lohud All-County team
After an action-packed season on the pitch, the Journal News/lohud Rockland girls soccer all-county team highlights some of the top players in the area.
Here are this year's selections:
Player of the Year: Grace Burns
School: Albertus Magnus
Year: Senior
Position: Midfielder
Highlights: The UConn-committed midfielder is a tenacious and unrelenting player. Although she has the capability and versatility to make an impact nearly anywhere on the pitch, she shined as the Falcons' defensive midfielder this season, earning league player of the year and first-team all-state honors. She has great instincts and was a catalyst in bringing the Falcons back to the Section 1 Class A finals, before they fell to eventual state champion Rye. Burns also chipped in five goals and five assists.
Here is the rest of the first team:
Gabby Chan
School: Albertus Magnus
Year: Senior
Position: Forward
Highlights: Despite injuries hampering the first half of her season, Chan remained a threat on the pitch. With her ability to score from nearly anywhere, she commanded a lot of attention from her opponents. The Columbia commit returned to the Class A all-state first team and finished with 13 goals and five assists.
Eve Girardi
School: Tappan Zee
Year: Sophomore
Position: Forward
Highlights: Girardi enjoyed a breakout season as a sophomore and finished as one of Section 1 and Rockland's leading scorers. The all-section forward finished with 20 goals and five assists this year.
Maggie Murphy
School: Albertus Magnus
Year: Senior
Position: Forward
Highlights: Primarily the Falcons' attacking center midfielder, Murphy saved her best for last. She enjoyed a stellar senior season and was one of Albertus Magnus' impact players this fall. She tied Chan for the most combined goals and assists for the Falcons this year, finishing with 11 goals and seven assists.
Megan McGovern
School: North Rockland
Year: Senior
Position: Midfielder
Highlights: One of the Red Raiders' key trio of seniors, McGovern played a large role in helping the Red Raiders reach the Section 1 Class AAA finals. The Winthrop-bound standout is tenacious defensively but also willingly moved up to midfield and equally made an impact there. McGovern had eight goals and six assists this season and was named to the Class AAA all-state fourth team.
Caroline Tomas
School: North Rockland
Year: Senior
Position: Midfielder
Highlights: She's willing to do nearly anything for the Red Raiders, except coach the team and drive the bus, but her impact was that big on the pitch this fall. Primarily a defender, Tomas has also lined up at midfield and even forward, but her technical ability and positive intangibles as a leader and scrappy player, made her that important to North Rockland's winning recipe. The Albany-committed standout was named league player of the year and landed on the Class AAA all-state third team.
Amelia Layden
School: Pearl River
Year: Junior
Position: Defender
Highlights: She continues to take great strides as a player and a leader with each passing year. Layden enjoyed her best season yet and continued to be one of the section's top lockdown defenders. She was named co-league player of the year and earned all-state honors for the first time in her career.
Julia Lombardo
School: Albertus Magnus
Year: Junior
Position: Defender
Highlights: Lombardo followed up on her breakout sophomore season with another solid campaign to return to the lohud Rockland All-County first team. The St. John's-committed defender was named all-section and helped anchor Albertus Magnus' back line, which went through the regular season without giving up a goal against Section 1 opponents.
Anna Palitti
School: Tappan Zee
Year: Junior
Position: Defender
Highlights: A catalyst behind Tappan Zee's deepest playoff run since 2018, Palitti helped the Dutchmen record 11 shutouts this season. She is a savvy and tough defender on the pitch and a lifeline for Tappan Zee. She was named co-league player of the year and earned all-section honors.
Tess Sirakovsky
School: Pearl River
Year: Junior
Position: Defender
Highlights: Alongside Layden, Sirakovsky is another integral player in the Pirates' defensive-minded approach. A tough, hard-nosed player, Sirakovsky helped the Pirates tally 14 shutouts this season, as they reached the Section 1 Class A semifinals. She was named all-section.
Aubrey Haesche
School: Albertus Magnus
Year: Junior
Position: Goalkeeper
Highlights: She's made some show-stopping saves to bolster momentum for her team and helped the Falcons record 13 shutouts this season. Between her quick-twitch reflexes and athleticism, she didn't let many shots get past her. Haesche was named all-section.
Coach of the Year: Bill Lynch, Tappan Zee
After some unexpected player departures before the start of the season, Lynch took a young Tappan Zee team and molded it into one of the top squads in Class A. The Dutchmen finished with a 15-3-1 record, after getting eliminated by eventual state champion Rye in their first Section 1 Class A semifinal appearance since 2018. This year also marked the Dutchmen's most total wins in a single season since 2006. They recorded 11 shutouts this year and along the way, Lynch moved into No. 2 all-time in Rockland County for varsity girls soccer coaching wins.
Second team
F — Gabby Cabrera, Jr., North Rockland
F — Mya Chesman, So., Pearl River
F — Michaela Fay, So., Suffern
MF — Megan O'Prey, Sr., Tappan Zee
MF — Julia Scavetta, Sr., Suffern
MF — Jenna Silver, So., Pearl River
D — Amanda Bialek, Fr., Clarkstown North
D — Teigan Cunnane, So., Albertus Magnus
D — Kayla Medora, Sr., North Rockland
D — Mila Zidek, Jr., Tappan Zee
GK — Kelsey Miedreich, Jr., Pearl River
Honorable mention
Ella Anderton, Sr., GK, Nyack
Natalia Arango, So., D, Albertus Magnus
Amy Bernasconi, Sr., MF, Clarkstown South
Sammi Caivano, Sr., MF, Clarkstown North
Alexis Diaz, Fr., F, Albertus Magnus
Sofia DiPrima, Jr., MF, Albertus Magnus
Sadie Esseck, So., MF, North Rockland
Alex McDowell, Sr., D, Nanuet
Courtney McLachlan, Sr., D, Albertus Magnus
Ashley McMahon, Sr., MF/F, Albertus Magnus
Kailey O'Connor, Sr., MF, Pearl River
Giavonna Orfini, So., F, North Rockland
Shannon Perry, Sr., MF, Suffern
Ella Sabatini, Fr., GK, Tappan Zee
Jillian Terlizzi, Jr., F/MF, Suffern
Danica Tsapatsaris, Fr., D/F, Albertus Magnus
Nina Vasquez, So., MF, Tappan Zee
Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Albertus Magnus Grace Burns tops Rockland All-County girls soccer team
