The Oceanside Women’s Football Team is ending the regular season strongly after a brief decline at the end of last month, but its coach hopes that some of the lingering issues that have plagued the team this fall will be resolved in the playoffs. The Mariners entered the final week's four-game winning streak after sliding three consecutive games, and advanced 8-2-1 in the conference AA-I. They won 1-0 in Farmingdale on October 14th, coupled with the undefeated Massapequa defeating third-place Syosset 2-0, helping Oceanside get second in the standings. However, despite the accumulation of victories, the frontcourt has not scored, which worries Oceanside coach Mariana Winchester. It has only scored 21 goals this season, 14 fewer than Syosset, and only two more than Farmingdale (5-7), ranked fourth, of which 8 are from players listed as defensive guards on the roster. "They were frustrated because they knew they should score more goals, and this didn't happen to them," Winchester said of her striker group. "I hope so, because they really deserve it. Sometimes I tell them to relax and stretch out your foot. You don't have to kick a shot. Give me more skills than power." During the winning streak, Wincher Steer tried to create offensive sparks by putting second-year guard Ila McCowen in front, and this move may have saved Oceanside's season. After a hard 1-0 loss to Massapequa on September 27 and a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Plainview two days later, the Mariners scored a 2--0 victory at home on October 1st before McCowen. The 0 score was behind Syosset's goal to tie the score with three minutes left to save the 2-2 tie. "It helps us," Winchester said. "This is the right call at the right time. I'm just looking for someone who can score." McCowen scored two more goals in a 4-0 win over Farmingdale on October 4, and the Mariners have since then. Never lost. Young defensive guard Gianna Fusile has also been the catalyst for the team’s recent goals and seven assists in the past five games, including helping forward Nora Nesti last Thursday with about 7 minutes remaining in the game. Nora Nestico scored the match. Nestico tried to ease Winchester's concerns by scoring two goals in the past three games, increasing her team's total lead to four. In the winning goal against Farmingdale, she slipped behind the defender under Fucile's through pass and passed the Daler goalkeeper before putting the ball into the empty net. "Nora is a lively player," Winchester said. "Sometimes, when she fights more of these physically strong girls, she gets knocked down, but her performance is 110%." Fucile, Jessica Banta, Lily Johnson and Alyssa Strandberg and goalkeeper Natalie Medungo continue to form a defensive lineup. Winchester's "rock musician" only allowed 9 goals this season, one more than Massapequa, and had 5 blocks. Winchester said that Banta scored in the October 5 game against East Meadow as an injury-filled performance was "extraordinary."

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