Spotlight   

Written by MIKE SMITH

Friday, 16 July 2010 12:57

Former Panther club plays under Flames’ banner For the past decade, the Westchester Flames have established themselves as the area’s premier soccer club. With a men’s squad playing in the highly competitive PDL division of the United Soccer League as well as a burgeoning youth program, the Flames’ brand has become quite visible among aspiring soccer players in Westchester.

This year however, the Flames looked to expand their sphere of influence, hoping to tap into the legions of local female footballers by creating the club’s first ever women’s U20 club. The squad’s first year was a success, as the team fell just one point short of qualifying for the national postseason tournament.

“The girls did quite well,” said head coach Michele Callisto. “I was happy with the way we played this summer.”

Of course, it would come as little surprise to the head coach that his team would fare well in the U20 league. After all, Callisto, who has coached the Mamaroneck Panthers soccer club for the past several years, brings a familiar cast of characters with him.

“I’d say the majority of players on the team played for the Panthers,” said goalkeeper Phoebe Hanley, a former standout at Mamaroneck High School who currently plays for Tufts University. “It was a pleasure to come back and play with this group of girls again. We knew each other on the field and knew each other socially, so it was a good experience.” Callisto, whose son plays for the Flames’ U-16 team, knew that his Panthers squad – who had aged out of the competitive youth leagues – would be looking for a place to play this summer, so he got in touch with the Flames’ organization.

“I told [the Flames] that I had this group of girls, mostly college players, who were looking for a place to play over the summer. I figured playing locally in New Rochelle would be a better option than going out to Long Island. We applied, and had our team,” Callisto said.

And while the Flames’ PDL squad might attract players from all over, the U20 women’s team remains local in essence. With former Section I standouts like Stephanie Velez, Catharine Greer and former state-title winner from Rye, Alex Rimmer, the Flames hope to draw from Westchester’s considerable talent pool in future years.

The Flames certainly played top-flight competition, according to Callisto, taking on some teams with as many as three nationally-ranked U20 players.

“The competition was tough,” remarked Alex Rimmer, who plays for Hamilton. “I think it helped us to keep in shape for the college season. Unfortunately, the season is over and for the next month, we’re going to have to do stuff on our own.”

For the Panthers’ players, there were some differences in playing for a larger organization. “While it was nice to have that familiarity, there were some differences between the Flames and the Panthers,” said Hanley. “We had to get used to wearing the red jerseys during practice, working with a larger team . . .but it helped that we knew the coach and the players.”

“We had to carry more girls this year,” said Callisto. “When you play as many games as we do, you have to have those extra girls on the sidelines.” And being part of the Flames’ organization helped the girls’ fine-tune their game, as they got to watch the PDL squad up close and personal for a few months.

“I think the biggest thing we took from them was their intensity,” said Hanley. “I think in general, boys in sports get much more passionate, and we could really see that from watching them. They were always fighting out there, fighting for the ball, to get the call from the referee.”

Now with season over, Rimmer, Hanley and the rest of the squad will look towards their college season, but come next summer a few of them have a good idea where they will be playing.

“Obviously, there’s a lot of time,” said Hanley. “But it was a great experience playing this year, and once we see how many of the girls are coming back, I’m hoping to be back next year.”
7/17/10