If you look up the word “resilience” in the dictionary, you’ll likely find a definition similar to the following: an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change.
However, you may find a picture of the Christ the King R.H.S., Middle Village, girls’ varsity soccer team next to the word based of their breakout fall season.
The Royals won the school’s first-ever Brooklyn/Queens diocesan title and closed out the year No. 6 in the New York Post’s N.Y.C. final rankings released in mid-November. Playing in the AA division, Christ the King finished the year 11-3-2.
Sixth-year head coach John Fayad led the team, which was made up of only 13 girls. But it was the team’s resiliency that carried them throughout the season.
“Everyone knew what they were supposed to do, their position and what was required of them,” said Fayad. “We had a lot of chemistry on the team, and that was the reason for a good season.”
Fayad had high expectations coming into the season after the Royals lost to Bishop Kearney H.S., Bensonhurst, in last year’s Brooklyn/Queens semifinals.
Christ the King received strong performances from a variety of players. Senior forward Christina Viaggio led the team with 23 goals in 16 games and also finished second on the team with 10 assists. She returned from the off-season in prime condition, which Fayad noticed immediately.
“I knew she was going to be one of the top players in the city,” he said.
Fayad described senior forward Fabiana Rebecca as “the heart and soul of the team.” This year, she scored 16 goals, which was second on the team. She led the Royals in scoring each of her first three seasons.
While Viaggio and Rebecca supplied much of the offense, Christ the King’s strongest point was its defense. Sophomore fullback Destiny Marino was the team’s most reliable defender and a major reason the team only gave up three goals during the regular season.
Sophomore goaltender Kristen Drogsler was also a major part of the defense. She recorded 10 shutouts and an incredible 0.5 goals against average. Originally a midfielder, Drogsler became the team’s goalie last year through an experiment by Fayad when the team was without a goalie. That move has paid huge dividends.
The Royals only lost one game during the regular season – a 3-0 defeat at the hands of St. Joseph Hill, Staten Island, who wound up being ranked No. 1 in the Post’s poll.
The team had two defining wins during the regular season. The first was 5-0 against Fontbonne Hall Academy, Bay Ridge, on Sept. 14. The Royals had never beaten Fontbonne up until that game.
“That win gave the girls recognition, and they knew they could beat anybody,” Fayad said.
On Oct. 14, they clinched the division with a 2-0 victory over their rival, The Mary Louis Academy, Jamaica Estates.
Christ the King met Mary Louis again in the Brooklyn/Queens Championship on Nov. 6. Down 1-0 with less than 10 minutes to play, the Royals tied the game on a goal from Rebecca, set up nicely by Viaggio and sophomore midfielder Francesca Giglio.
In overtime, senior forward Luna Siracusa connected on the go-ahead goal. Drogsler and the defense shut down Mary Louis for the remainder of the game, giving Christ the King its first appearance in the CHSAA state tournament.
While the team was riding high from that victory, it received a gut check just two days before the tournament. Sophomore sweeper Cathy Lume was hit by a car while crossing the street after practice. Though she suffered no broken bones, she was badly bruised and could no longer play.
Lume, the team’s vocal leader, was right there next to Fayad on the sidelines as the Royals took on Nichols School, Buffalo, N.Y., in the state semifinals played at St. Anthony’s H.S., Huntington, L.I. Nichols – known as being one of the state’s strongest soccer programs – won the game 6-0.
The Royals lost the next day to St. Joseph Hill, 4-0, in the tournament consolation game.
Though the team was upset, Fayad reassured the players that they had accomplished something that no other Christ the King team had ever accomplished. The team’s original goal was to make the state tournament, and that’s exactly what they did.
Turkey Trot Winds Its Way in Prospect Park
The Prospect Park Track Club hosted its annual five-mile Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning in Prospect Park. Sponsored by Jack Rabbit, a portion of the proceeds benefit the Bishop Ford H.S., Park Slope, track teams.
Over 2,200 runners participated in an effort to burn off some calories before enjoying their Thanksgiving meal. Angel Confessor, 22, of Brooklyn won the race with a time of 26:33.
Bishop Ford graduate and current Long Island University Brooklyn Campus, Fort Greene, track runner Jonathan Piniero, 18, finished 11th overall at 28:47.[hr]
St. Edmund’s Louison Stars for St. Joseph’s
St. Joseph’s College’s basketball squad, Clinton Hill, has received a jolt of energy early this season from former St. Edmund’s Prep, Sheepshead Bay, standout forward David Louison.
The six-foot four-inch freshman has averaged a double-double (12.6 points and 10.8 rebounds per game) through the Bears first five games. He also leads the team with eight blocked shots.
As a senior at St. Edmund’s, Louison was a unanimous CHSAA All-A South Division selection and a Basketball Coaches Association of New York top-50 selection.
