St. Mary’s bids adieu to Webster, says hello to 2009

When you think St. Mary’s girls soccer, you think Amanda Webster. Since coming up in the seventh grade for the Spartans’ state tournament run, she rewrote the record books on Tremont Street, and the only category she didn’t set a new mark in was career assists – Kerri Domohowski still holds that milestone.”One thing about Amanda,” St. Mary’s coach Jim Foley said, “she goes full blast all the time.”But now she’s going full blast for nationally-ranked Santa Clara University (the Broncos are No. 22) across a continent in California, and Foley and the Spartans must regroup and reload as the 2009 season beckons.”Of course you miss her,” he said. “But the experience the kids gained playing with her is going to rub off, definitely.”The Spartans will play their first game of the post-Webster era in the Lynn City Tournament on Wednesday, Sept. 9, against English at Manning Field. Over the course of the preseason, Foley must fill some voids other than Webster’s. He lost his outside midfielders, his goalie, and his starting sweeper. Yet, he said, “We have three seniors on the roster, a very strong junior class, and younger kids who are promising.”The team’s three seniors are all captains, defender Briana Marotta, forward Courtney Winters, and midfielder Michelle Macchione. They are joined by a junior class that includes three midfielders (Molly Carey, Kirsten Ferrari and Brianna Holmes), defender Bria Prophete, defenders (and sisters) Mikaela and Bridget Donovan, and goalie Angela Dandreo.Several of these players helped spark the team offensively last year, with Winters contributing five goals and five assists in 2008 and Carey adding five goals and seven assists. Sophomore Brianna Anderson, who has played on the varsity since the eighth grade, tallied six goals last year.Newcomers to the varsity include freshman forwards Maggie Carey and Victoria Viger.In total, 48 players came to the first day of practice Thursday at Frey Park (including 12 freshmen). That, Foley said, was “probably one of the highest numbers I ever had.”One aspect of his team that Foley likes is the championship experience of many of his multi-sport players. Winters and Macchione were part of back-to-back state title teams in girls hockey, and Macchione and Viger played for the state champion softball team as well.”We lucked out,” Foley said. “A lot of girls on the hockey team are on this year’s roster.” That’s also true, he said, for players from the softball team.”It brings a lot to the team,” he said.The team will scrimmage Watertown on Saturday, Winthrop on Monday, and Lexington on Tuesday. Once the regular season starts, the Spartans will face what Foley called “the always very tough Catholic Central League; Fenwick is probably the team to beat.” They will also play what the coach described as a similarly difficult non-league lineup including Swampscott and Saugus.”I think we’ll do OK,” Foley predicted.The coach, now in his 11th season, called Lynnfield the team to beat in Division 3, and he and the Spartans are well acquainted with the Pioneers. Last year, in the state tournament, Lynnfield eliminated Webster and St. Mary’s in the quarterfinals before falling to Newburyport in the semifinals.