October 27, 2011

Memorial's Karla Calderon added to her scoring records with three goals in a win over Ferris. (Photo: Jason Bernstein)

Ferris at Memorial Girls Soccer Photo Gallery

WEST NEW YORK – Memorial head coach Michael Leibovitz doesn't want to think about the challenge that lies ahead with replacing standout midfielder Karla Calderon.

One only needs to look at the stat sheet and Calderon's stranglehold on the school record book to see just how valuable she has been for four seasons and how irreplaceable she will be, when she graduates this spring.

"She's a special player and they don't come too often," Leibovitz said. "Knowing what we have next year at this point, it's going to be impossible to replace her."

A brief glance at Memorial's record book shows the extent of her dominance on the pitch as Calderon has racked up 32 goals on the season in 18 games and has 108 for her career. Both marks are school records.

Calderon, who has blown past former record holder and former teammate Gabrielle Jimenez (91 goals), set the 100-goal milestone in an Oct. 14 win over Belleville.

While Calderon is not the only player in Hudson County to score at an incredible pace (Bayonne's Lisa Rovatsos has 34 goals this year and 112 for her career and Kearny's Stefanie Gomes has 30 this season),  the Memorial standout hasn't had the luxury of playing on teams with the kind of supporting cast others have experienced.

" She's a tremendous player," said Leibovitz of Calderon, who is often the target of double teams from the opposition. "What makes her even better is that she doesn't have the strong supporting cast like a lot of the other high-scoring girls do. She's done a lot of it on her own."

"I get yelled at a lot by Leibo and (assistant coach Sequendo) Broncano to relax and play my position, to not go everywhere on the field," said Calderon with a laugh. "It's hard, it's something I do every game. Sometimes I try do too much. My coaches always relax me and tell me to 'relax and calm down because I'm doing too much.' I listen sometimes."

It's a difficult task for Calderon, who in Leibovtiz's opinion is "our be our best midfielder, forward, defender and goalie," noting that  "wherever I put her, she'd be the best on the field."

A forward, her first three years, Calderon and teammate Genesis Benitez were shifted to midfield to help aid the Tigers' defense and have them in control of the ball more. That change along with the addition of freshman Liliana Ventura have helped lead Memorial to an 11-7 record and given Calderon a little more help than in the previous two seasons.

Calderon had plenty of help in yesterday's 8-1 win over Ferris as the Tigers stormed out to a 6-0 lead as they scored six times in a span of 22 minutes.

Calderon opened the scoring in the eighth minute when she weaved through multiple Ferris (0-10) defenders before placing a shot inside the far post for a goal. She would score two more times before being pulled in the game's 20th minute with the outcome well in hand.

Even in just that brief stint on the field, Calderon displayed all of her skills on offense, including her much-improved ability to score with her left foot.

"I wasn't too good at all, using my left leg, but Leibo and Broncano always told me 'use your left, use your left. You could have so many goals if you used your left leg,'" Calderon said. "I just spent hours and hours practicing in the summer. Now I'm a lot better at it.

"Back in the day I would have to give it to my right and sometimes I would just take too long and miss the goal. But now I'm confident and I can make those goals with my left."

Benitez, Naomi Rodas, Zoila Escobar, Kimberly Cardona and Wendy Fuentes all found the back of the net for the Tigers in the victory.

Norma Gavilanes scored the lone goal for Ferris with a penalty kick in the 47th minute.

Norma Gavilanes scored in the 47th minute for Ferris on a penalty kick. (Photo: Jason Bernstein)

Ferris at Memorial Girls Soccer Photo Gallery