ref lexes that allow me
to score goals at random
and in the most unusu-
al ways, making it diffi-
cult for goalies to stop.
Lastly, I train against my
brother, John Scalisi who
is not only a very talent-
ed goalie and headed to
Canisius, but who is my
biggest competitor out of
everyone.”
Scalisi’s talents don’t
just reside on the pitch.
Scalisi is also a very tal-
ented basketball player
who had offers to play
at the next level as well.
While some would have
issues with playing an-
other sport, Scalisi loved
the challenged.
She loved being able to
play hoops, and was very
good at it. Scalisi never
once thought of not play-
ing because of the chanc-
es of getting hurt. She
isn’t the type of person
that is going to live in fear
and the what if game.
Basketball, and track,
are a big part of her life.
Yes, she is a dominating
force on the pitch during
the soccer season - but
don’t mess with her when
it comes time to taking
off the cleats and putting
on the sneakers for bas-
ketball.
She is just as compet-
itive as good as the op-
posing teams have found
out.
“No, I was never afraid,
as I believe that people
can’t live their life in fear,
as it takes away opportu-
nities and limits oneself
to their true potential.
Basketball and track have
both helped me train and
strengthen other muscles
in the body that would
prevent injuries in soc-
cer. I actually have en-
countered more injuries
in soccer than basket-
ball/track,” stated Scali-
si. “I plan on continuing
to play other sports as
possible on the off season
during my college years
to maintain the benefits
of cross training. Playing
with the WNY Lakers in
the Junior National Bas-
ketball Championship in
Washington DC is a prime
APRIL 2019 | SportsUnion
example of taking risks
because of this oppor-
tunity I experienced my
true potential as a bas-
ketball player, especially
when colleges became in-
terested in recruiting me
for basketball.”
It’s on the pitch where
he career will be mea-
sured in college. UB has
built a very good pro-
gram over the years and
Scalisi is another cog in
the well-oiled machine.
Scalisi will be one of sev-
eral local girls to dot the
roster of the Bulls.
Pretty much all the lo-
cal girls on the roster
have played, or are play-
ing, for the WNY Flash.
That means there will be
a lot of eyes on this group
of young ladies to see if
they can succeed at the
next level.
That’s nothing knew
for Scalisi. She is used
to having all eyes on her,
and her teammates. She
is used to the pressure
and living up to the hype.
This is what she does. The
more pressure the better.
“I usually thrive under
these conditions / envi-
ronments and have been
doing this since I was very
young because I am com-
petitive and want to win
each game. It motivates
me even more to per-
form better under these
stressful situations as
seen in the West Seneca
High School soccer game
where my team was down
four goals,” stated Scal-
isi. “I scored four goals
in 13 minutes in the sec-
ond half to tie the game.
Coaches have relied on
me to be the “go to” player
in last minute situations
consistently to get the job
done whether it’s scoring
goals or defending very
well. I am known for scor-
ing game-winning goals
or baskets in the very last
minute or seconds in a
game. Some examples of
high-pressure games and
expectations include the
ODP National Champion-
ship, The Disney All-Star
Tournament, NYW State
Cup and regionals for
soccer. Section 6 Playoffs
and states for high school
31
basketball and attending
Junior National Cham-
pionship for basketball
with the WNY Lakers.”
At some an early age,
Scalisi has had a remark-
able career so far. She has
accomplished a lot and
she still is a teenager.
Most teenagers are just
happy to ale it through
the day without being
late to class or forgetting
something important.
Scalisi has been able
to build friendships and
others things during her
time playing sports. It’s
a great start to a career
and can only get better as
time goes on.
“Some things I can take
away from my career so
far are the friendships
made, the power of team-
work, enforced discipline
with strict routines, over-
coming adversity in pol-
itics, leadership on and
off field, communication
with teammates and hav-
ing the right coach,” stat-
ed Scalisi. “All of these
experiences from my ca-
reer have not only been
applied to the game but
have allowed me to ap-
ply these skills in my life
whether it is in school,
sports or volunteering.
I am so proud of my ca-
reer and accomplish-
ments that I have gained
throughout these expe-
riences and enjoy giving
back to the community
by working and training
with children. One par-
ticular experience was
TOPS soccer that allowed
me to work with children
with disabilities and en-
joy the game of soccer at
the same time.”
As the sun rises on an-
other day, you see a shad-
ow emerge with a soccer
ball in hand. You can’t
see the face yet, only the
breathe from the cool
spring day. As she drib-
bles the image becomes
clearer and clearer. It’s
Tatyjana Scalisi working
on her craft.
The sky is the limit for
Scalisi as she has only
touched the surface.