Petrides’ Katrina Wiesner (l.) and Francis Lewis’ Jelitza Rivas battle for the ball. (Christina Santucci)
Amanda Feldstein was getting excited and impatient all at the same time.
The Petrides senior striker was minutes away from reaching a four-year goal of reaching the PSAL Class A semifinals. With her team holding a comfortable lead over Francis Lewis, she kept asking the referee the time. She had to wait a few minutes longer when Lewis senior Yasmine Briedj got hurt, but soon it was over.
“I was like, ‘OK, this is good,’” Feldstein said.
When the final whistle blew she went racing across the field into the arms of coach Kim Caccese to celebrate No. 5 Petrides’ 3-0 win over the fourth-seeded Patriots in the quarterfinals Friday afternoon on Randall’s Island. It marks the 12-year-old program’s first-ever trip to the final four after three straight appearances in the round of 16.
“Since we came in preseason they were determined to do better, to make it past the quarterfinals,” Caccese said. … “There probably isn’t a team that works as hard as we do. They earn every win.”
Added Feldstein: “Our team this year is probably the best it’s ever been.”
She put her name among the greatest in program history by becoming the first player to reach the 100-career goal plateau. Feldstein, the PSAL’s leading scorer this season with 42 tallies, scored twice on through balls from Katrina Wiesner.
She broke a scoreless tie in the 47th minute by beating a diving Julia Bernhardt, the Lewis goalkeeper, inside the left post. In the 56th minute, she blasted a ball up from the left side of the box to extend the lead to 2-0 for the Panthers (11-2-1).
“I really wanted to help her out,” Weisner said of getting Feldstein to 100. “That’s really big for our school and for her.”
Weisner, the PSAL leader in assists with 19, added the final score by blasting a free kick from 30 yards out to the top right corner in the 62nd minute. The scoring barrage came after an even first half where Feldstein put a header wide and blasted a ball off the right post. Petrides’ sweeper Victoria Roda kept telling her team if they got just one, the defense would be able to hold it.
“I thought my defense was doing an awesome job,” Roda said. “As soon as there is one goal, everyone just starts working harder.”
They shut down the Lewis attack in the second half. The Patriots (12-2-1), who also lost in last year’s quarterfinals, were without forward Libby Zelikowitz (knee) and were forced to play star midfielder Gena Koutsounadis at sweeper with starting sweeper Valerie James banged up. Lewis forward Yessica Busto created plenty of first-half scoring chances by playing balls wide. Coach Jeovani Paredes called the first half the best his team played all season, but felt they were rushing shots. He will return the majority of his squad next year.
“I’m glad these girls have another opportunity,” Paredes. “I think every year they are just going to get hungrier and hungrier.”
That’s exactly the way Petrides felt this year. The Panthers posted the program’s best regular-season record and beat powerhouse McKee/Staten Island Tech for the first time in school history. Their next challenge is top-seeded Beacon, ranked No. 2 in the city by The Post, at 12 p.m. Thursday in the semifinals at Flushing Meadows/Corona Park in Queens.
“I don’t really look at their ranking,” Roda said. “They are undefeated, but we are also in the best league in the city. I think if we can keep up with Tottenville and Tech, we can keep up with Beacon.”
