PSAL Class B girls soccer final preview

NYPost.com girls soccer beat writer Joseph Staszewski breaks down Sunday’s PSAL Class B girls soccer final at Belson Stadium on the campus of St. John’s University in Queens.

SCHEDULE

9 a.m. – No. 3 Newcomers vs. No. 5 New Utrecht

No. 3 Newcomers Lions

Record: 13-2-0

Head coach: Kerryn Sarceno

Player to Watch: Anamaria Amaya

How they got there: Defeated No. 6 Telecome 2-0 in the quarterfinals and No. 10 Lafayetter 5-4 in the semifinals.

No. 5 New Utrecht

Record: 13-2-0

Head coach: Kristina Weisbrich

Player to Watch: Carmela Marchica

How they got there: Beat No. 12 Enviormental Studies 9-0 in the first round, No. 4 Beach Channel 3-1 in the quarterfinals and No. 9 Sheepshead Bay 1-0 in the semifinals.

Outlook: Both these schools took very different paths to the finals and have very different histories of late. New Utrecht has been one of the ‘B’ league's top programs, losing in the finals to Flushing 2-1 two years ago and now reloaded with a roster filled with freshmen and sophomores.

The Utes, who knocked off No. 4 Beach Channel in the quarterfinals, got an early goal from sophomore Ivette Sosa and made it stand up in a 1-0 win over Brooklyn rival Sheepshead Bay in the semifinals. What makes New Utrecht difficult to play is its balance and skill with the ball. It is both calculated and patient. The Utes do not have a lone star. Jennifer Paolino has scored 12 goals and Viridiana Casco and Carmela Marchica are all capable goal scorers.

“It’s really excited going back [to the finals] like years past,” Sosa said. “We are giving it all that we can.”

While New Utrecht had a fairly calm semifinal, Newcomers was in a wild affair in the other field at Flushing Meadow Park. The Cougars watched an early 2-0 lead evaporate and would have found themselves trailing at the half had it not been for a late Anamaria Amaya goal. The junior was the game's star, finding the back of the next four times. It’s a feat that will be hard to replicate against a young, but jelling New Utrecht defense. Senior Melissa Calle, who had a goal and two assists in the semifinals, is equally as dangerous. Expect a big game from her. A win would cap a stellar season for the Lions, who moved down to Class B after not being able to field a team as an 'A' squad last year.

“This is like a dream come true,” Newcomers Kerryn Sarceno said. “I could never have pictured this or dreamt this up. It’s like a miracle.”

jstaszewski@nypost.com