Female Athlete of the Week
Leading the Mariner Tritons’ offensive attack last season were juniors Alyssa and Alisabeth Barry, and senior Magen Carey. That’s right, Barry, Barry and Carey. It was a dynamic trio which accounted for 70 of the team’s 115 goals.
The Tritons have gone through an adjustment this season, losing not only key players on offense, but many top defenders from last year’s team that went 19-2-3.
Needless to say, having senior Alyssa Barry at full strength has been critical to the team’s success this season.
The Daily Breeze Female Athlete of the Week scored three goals for the Tritons (10-8-3) in a 9-0 win over East Lee County last Tuesday and added a goal in a 3-0 victory over Cape Coral on Thursday.
Along with her ability to finish, Barry has helped the team with her awareness and leadership.
“We will surely miss her when she leaves,” Tritons coach Beth Gedde said. “Because we’re a young team, we don’t have as many players feeding her the ball as we did in the past, but she still has been key to our success.”
Alyssa leads the team with 13 goals. She posted 18 as a junior, but is much stronger this year.
Alyssa missed her freshman season with an ACL injury and another surgery forced her to miss most of her sophomore campaign.
“Last year was still rocky,” she said, “but I’m feeling better now.”
Alyssa hasn’t had the luxury this season of playing alongside her twin sister, Alisabeth, who has been sidelined with an ACL injury.
The Tritons needed several of their young players to develop through the course of the season. Barry said they’ve done that and they are stronger now than they were earlier in the season.
Barry is finishing her fourth season with the Tritons. She has played soccer for the past 10 years and plans to continue in college, where she wants to study nursing.
For now, the focus is on the end of the season. The Tritons host Riverdale in an LCAC crossover match at 5 p.m. Friday and begin district play next week.
Honorable mentions:
Alexiss Griffin, senior, Cape Coral basketball: Griffin scored 19 points in a 63-15 win over Mariner and 14 in a win over Cypress Lake.
Cici Ward, senior, Bishop Verot basketball: Ward led the Vikings with 18 points in a 53-31 win over Gulf Coast last Saturday and had 18 in a 73-16 win over Charlotte earlier in the week.