St. Anthony's Girls Soccer Wins State Title

The St. Anthony’s girls soccer team celebrates its Nassau Suffolk Catholic High School Girls Athletic Association championship on Nov. 1. The Friars went on to win a state title 11 days later. Photo Courtesy of FriarNews.com/Zachary Davino

By Andrew Wroblewski
awroblewski@longislandergroup.com

Brianna Passaro scored twice and the Friars defense produced its 12th shutout of the season to secure a championship for the St. Anthony’s girls soccer team on Sunday.

The Friars (17-0) capped off their undefeated season with a 4-0 win over Xaverian High School in the Girl's Catholic High School Athletic Association’s (CHSAA) state title game.

Along with Passaro, who was also credited with an assist, both Lauren Hackett and Alexandra Milano found the back of the net for the Friars. Both Jenn Bonifazio and Lauren Haggerty notched a pair of assists.

In net, Vanessa Cole made three saves to preserve the clean sheet, a common achievement for the Friars this season.

Through 17 games, St. Anthony’s allowed just five goals.

And the Friars paired stout defensive play with an explosive offense. The team scored a total of 62 goals this season — an average of 3.6 per game.

A day before the Friars’ win over Xaverian, St. Anthony’s defeated Notre Dame Academy, 8-1, in the semifinals. Five Friars made it onto the score sheet: Amanda Andriano with one goal and one assist; Hackett, who scored once and dished out two assists; and Nicole Gordon, Gianna Russo and Passaro, who each scored twice and recorded one assist.

Cole and Victoria Eisenberg combined for two saves in the win.

The Friars also won this year’s Nassau Suffolk Catholic High School Girls Athletic Association AA championship on Nov. 1 with a 2-0 win over Sacred Heart.