Friday, October 3, 2008

Barone staring at Siena

Saratogian Sports Editor Brien Bouyea wrote in today's (Fri. 10/3) edition of the Saratogian, our sister paper, about Siena soccer players Ashleigh Barone and Maria DeMatteo.
Barone, a Shenendehowa graduate and The Record's 2007 Player of the Year, is on an absolute tear.

She has nine goals and four assists for 22 points (goals are two points, assists are one) and the Saints are undefeated at 7-0-2.

She entered the week, seventh in the nation in scoring at 2.44 points per game - in the nation for Division I players.

I thought Ashleigh was a great player, but she is making an instant impact and Siena is more than lucky to have her.

Below is the story......

By BRIEN BOUYEA
The Saratogian


LOUDONVILLE — Ashleigh Barone and Maria DeMatteo didn’t waste any time establishing their ‘stop us if you can’ mentality for the Siena College women’s soccer team this season.


In the first game of the season against Rhode Island — one of the most talented opponents on the Saints’ schedule — Barone and DeMatteo each netted a goal to get Siena off on the right foot in a 2-1 victory over the Rams.

It was an authoritative opening statement — and a sign of things to come.
Spearheaded by the superlative play of Barone and DeMatteo, the Saints are off to the best start in program history with a 7-0-2 record entering tonight’s Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opener at Niagara.

“It’s been a lot of fun so far,” Barone said. “I thought we’d be pretty good, but this start is somewhat of a surprise. We are a pretty young team and you never really know what to expect. It’s given us great confidence and we think it’s only the beginning of what we can do.”

Siena head coach Steve Karbowski agrees.

“They’ve given us energy and great production,” Karbowski said of Barone and DeMatteo.
“Both are very skilled players and they’ve stepped up and flourished in prominent roles for us. I’m really excited about the potential they have.”

Barone, a Shenendehowa High School graduate, leads the team in goals (9) and points (22) and is tied for the team lead in assists (4), while DeMatteo, a Saratoga Springs grad, is the team’s second-leading scorer (4-2-10). The onetime Suburban Council rivals are now a prolific 1-2 scoring punch for a young and hungry group of Saints.

“We don’t talk much about the past rivalry we had in high school,” DeMatteo said. “It’s all about being together now and working to help our team win. There really isn’t any rivalry with us at all.”

Barone and DeMatteo are both newcomers to the Siena program. Barone is a freshman forward who was a five-year letter winner with the Plainsmen and the 2007 Section II Player of the Year.

DeMatteo, meanwhile, played significant minutes as a freshman at St. John’s University in the Big East Conference as a freshman last year before transferring to be closer to home. Before St. John’s, DeMatteo, also a forward, played five years on the varsity level with the Blue Streaks and was a first-team All-State selection as a senior.

“I had pretty much had enough of the city; it wasn’t much fun living in Queens,” DeMatteo said of her decision to transfer. “I just wanted to find an atmosphere that was a bit more suited for me and Siena has been great so far.”

Karbowski considers himself fortunate to have landed two players as accomplished as Barone and DeMatteo to lead his young team, which features only two senior starters.

“They’re both very polished, finished products,” he said. “Ashleigh is always in the right place and she doesn’t waste opportunities,” Karbowski said. “Against UAlbany she took only three shots and scored on each once … very efficient.

“Maria is a very similar player overall, but a bit more aggressive in one-on-one situations, which we encourage her to be because of her skills. Both of them also contribute on defense. They’re complete players who really play off of each other quite well. The feel they both have for the game can’t be taught.”

Barone and DeMatteo have already garnered plenty of recognition for their stellar play. Each has been honored with MAAC Offensive Player of the Week honors and Barone has a MAAC Rookie of the Week award to her credit.

“I don’t want to get too ahead of myself, but it’s really fun to watch them and think about what the next couple years could be like,” Karbowski said. “They’re part of a young core — we have a combined nine freshmen and sophomores starting — that we have very high hopes for.”

Barone and DeMatteo lead a large contingent of players from Saratoga County who are making an impact for the Saints. Senior midfielder Chelsea Maguire (Shenendehowa), sophomore defender Jenna Placke (Shenendehowa) and junior midfielder Marissa Shibley (Shenendehowa) are also starring for Siena, while senior Patti Carroll (Galway) started in goal the past three years but is currently injured.

While the Saints are trying to focus on the here and now instead of peering into the future, Barone admits she is looking forward to a chance to play in the MAAC Tournament, which the Saints will be hosting in November.

“Getting to the NCAA Tournament is a big goal of ours and it gives us a huge advantage to have our fans and a lot of our families able to be here and support us in the league tournament,” Barone said. “We know we have a lot of work before we get there, but it’s definitely a motivation for us to stay focused from now until then. We’ve had a great start to the season and I think even better things are ahead.”

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