This Year, Senior Night Is Opening Night

By MIKE SABINI
YORKTOWN, N.Y. – Yorktown’s field-hockey squad started senior-night week on Oct. 13, honoring seniors Addy Araneo, Alexa Borges, Nicole Peters, Kaylee Robustelli, Maiya Munoz, Lily Taormina, and Natalie Muscolino, before falling in a hard-fought game to Brewster, 3-0.

“It was definitely different having senior night in the beginning of the season, though it was great just being back out on the turf representing YHS,” Araneo said. “COVID just makes you appreciate it all that much more. I look forward to every game, and making my last season as a Cornhusker a great one.”

Lakeland’s girls soccer seniors—Ava Pagliaro, Sarah Pinkowsky, Amanda Cole, Aisha Bhakta, Juliana Moscati, Francesca Gerbasi, Nicole Haughney, and Sydney Nivar—enjoyed a 5-2 win on Oct. 13 against Brewster.

Sign Up for Yorktown Newsletter
Our newsletter delivers the local news that you can trust.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
“Having senior night as our first game was unusual, but definitely one to remember,” Pagliaro said. “Our team had so much energy and excitement, and that played a huge role in our performance. Although it was not the usual senior night, our sophomores and juniors did a great job of making our senior night feel just as special as any other.”

Pagliaro said that it’s hard to believe how fast the last four years have gone.

“I feel like just yesterday I was a freshman making posters and handing out flowers to the seniors,” Pagliaro said.

Yorktown’s boys soccer seniors—Anthony Canger, David Dippolito, Chris Judge, Teddy Kozera, Marco Landicino, Dylan Lopez, Vasyl Oliinych, Ruslan Semenko, Peter Spallone and Scott Weitman—reveled in a 6-0 victory against Brewster on Oct. 14.

“Senior night was definitely very different from the rest of the others I have experienced,” Kozera said. “Usually, senior night is the last home game, but with these uncertain times, it’s best to play it safe and get it out of the way. The experience was very different from others because we had to social distance while taking pictures. But it meant a lot to me that we were able to get this done for the other seniors and myself, and finish it with a win.”

Chris Ciraco, Jason San Lucas, Austin Bergen, Tyler Nocito, Antonio Gerbasi, Bobby Hernandez, Reed Thompson, Jack Tuite, Jaskaran Singh, Dan Gonzalez and Dom Duggan make up Lakeland’s boys soccer senior class.

“The experience was amazing,” said Bergen, whose team defeated Putnam Valley, 4-0, on Oct. 14. “We have been waiting so long to get back out on the field and play a real game, and the fact that it was senior night just made us want the win so much more. It means so much to me, being a senior captain and getting a big win on senior night. Senior night was something I personally have been looking forward to, since my high school soccer career started.”

Yorktown’s girls tennis seniors—Catherine Clark, Nora Curanaj, Rebecca Gerdis, Lauren Kitts, Giovanni Phipps, and Asha Rath— celebrated with a 7-0 victory against Lakeland on Oct. 14.

“It was great to honor the seniors, and it was very nice to have their parents attend,” said Yorktown coach Roger Dayer. “Mr. [Rob] Barrett, the athletic director for Yorktown High School, did a great job of organizing everything. Rebecca Gerdis, Giovanna Phipps, and Lauren Kitts played first, second, and third singles, respectively. It was a beautiful day weather wise, and every other way. The seniors and the rest of the team have been a pleasure to coach, and the seniors deserved a great senior day.”

Yorktown girls soccer seniors—Sophia Spallone, Chayce Buono, Cate Ward, Alicia Menduni, Samantha Paglino, Abby Passarella, and Grace Pearce—punctuated their night with a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory against Lakeland on Oct. 15.

“Senior night is always a very emotional night for everyone, and there were definitely some tears shed,” Buono said. “It’s crazy to think that this is the beginning of the end, but it gave all of us the drive to get that win. It was a nail-biting game. Every time we scored, Lakeland would come right back with a goal. To come out with a victory is another step towards our goal, which is league and section success.”

Lakeland’s field-hockey seniors—Katelyn Cerrato, Keirra Ettere, Emma Fon, Daniella Hart, Emily McGovern, Kristen O’Shea, Nancy Pagliaroli, and Emma Ryan—celebrated their big day with an 8-0 triumph against sister school, Walter Panas, on Oct. 17.

“It felt bittersweet that my teammates and I were able to be honored tonight,” Ettere said. “Reality has finally hit that it’s my last season, but I am so excited to be spending it with the most amazing girls. Especially through this crazy time, we were unsure if we would get this opportunity, but we did, and I couldn’t be happier.”