As we are now inside the top 10 of our preseason rankings we get to No. 9 the Mustangs of Mt. Sinai. This year they will look to rebound after a disappointing exit in the Suffolk Class C Quarterfinals last year after suffering some significant injuries to multiple key players. They are back with a healthy team and have a new voice in the locker room with Shayna Pirecca taking over as the head coach. With supreme talent returning for the 2023 season, the Mustangs will look to capitalize on the opportunity they have this year.
Mt. Sinai has one of the most prolific attack units on the island between Lea Flobeck (Florida), Taylor Cline (Brown), Peyton Choma (Quinnipiac), and Alexa Spallina. This quartet has the ability to light it up, making it very difficult for opposing defenses to contain. Beginning with Flobeck, she orchestrates the offense like a quarterback, playing low attack. Last season she had a team high 46 points with 33 goals and 13 assists. Cline is such a key component on the circle taking the draws, and added 22 goals last season. The junior Choma fits in seamlessly and is in for significant spring on the heels of a strong outing in the LILJ HSWL. Spallina the standout sophomore enters her third season on varsity and is a top flight talent in the class of 2025. She is an elite initiator and playmaker and is one of islands most lethal shooters, often times finishing with authority. Despite missing a duration of the 2022 season due to injury, Spallina still had a memorable freshman season with 24 goals and 19 assists.
The midfield for Mt. Sinai begins with junior Kayli Carannante the Pitt commit. Carannante gets up and down the field in a blink with game changing speed proving to be dangerous when out in transition. Along side Carannante at midfield will be seniors Cassidy Millen (Stony Brook) and Marisa Gatz (UMass).
Defensively they return upperclassmen Abby Sabella who’s bound for Stony Brook after this season, Sarah Blandi the Sacred Heart commit, and Gabrielle Ramos the junior LIU commit as well as sophomore Ava Schirtzer who had a standout winter. Mt. Sinai welcomes back senior goalie Sara Flobeck the future Sun Devil. After sharing the goalie duties with 2022 graduate Jillian McFadden, this year she’ll slide in as the starting goaltender. The Mustangs will look to once again be a tough team to score on as last year they only allowed double digit goals three times all season.
The majority of this Mustangs team remains in tact, but a few of their key 2022 graduates included Kylie Budke, Jordan Deblasio, Alexa Carannante, and Delilah Mile. With so much depth in the program their are some young guns that could have the opportunity to rise to the occasion and be in the fold this season. One of their young guns who showed this winter that she absolutely belongs on the field is freshman Sophia Masone at attack. In the HSWL Masone demonstrated her natural scoring ability. She is an adept left handed finisher as a dodger, and is also dangerous with her off-ball movement where she can create separation and become a pin point catch and shoot player. Adding to their core of young guns that could potentially be difference makers are sophomores Ava Clark and Kyla Orlando who each contributed this winter.
With so many teams competing in Class C the Mustangs have plenty of important games on the schedule against other teams in contention. They open the season with two challenges right out the gate against Class B Comsewogue on March 27th, followed by Class C Bayport Blue Point on March 31st. Some of their other notable matchups against Class C teams include Rocky Point (4/4), Miller Place (4/15), Sayville (5/1), Westhampton (5/3), and Shoreham Wading River (5/9).
