The New York Jets vs. New England Patriots Week 17 game is scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 28, at 1 p.m. on FOX.
She’s no stranger to stopping kicks. Now, Ashley Castanio-Gervasi is preparing to take one of her own — and it could be the biggest kick of her life.
Castanio-Gervasi, the Long Beach High School girls varsity soccer coach and a math teacher, will be one of four contestants competing in the New York Jets’ “Kick for Cash” field goal contest during halftime of this weekend’s game against the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium. She is the only woman in the competition.
The 33-year-old is a former Division I goalie at Stony Brook University and a lifelong Jets fan — and she says she’s embracing the moment.
“It’s a good nervous,” Castanio-Gervasi told Greater Long Island. “You should always have some sort of nerves because it shows you care. No pressure, though. I just want to have fun with it.”
Castanio-Gervasi’s unlikely path to the halftime spotlight began during the Jets’ Week 2 matchup against the Buffalo Bills. Before kickoff, she stopped by the stadium’s Tailgate Zone, where fans can test their kicking skills.
Despite not having kicked in nearly a year — sidelined by lingering pain from a left-knee injury that eventually required surgery in March — she decided to give a 10-yard field goal a try. It was the first time she had ever kicked a football.
Two Jets representatives were so impressed by the attempt that they chased her down afterward and encouraged her to return for a chance to qualify for the halftime contest.
A few weeks later, during the Jets’ game against the Carolina Panthers, Castanio-Gervasi returned to the Tailgate Zone and drilled a 20-yard field goal, officially earning her spot in the Hellmann’s-sponsored contest. She said the kick would have been good from much farther.
“I have a good level of confidence,” she said.
The road back to MetLife hasn’t been entirely smooth. Five weeks ago, Castanio-Gervasi broke the big toe on her right foot — her kicking foot — in an accident at home and spent time in a walking boot.
Still, she says she’s ready.
“My students and athletes are ecstatic,” she said. “Kids in the hallways are always asking me about it. The whole school is excited.”
She added that the excitement from others may outweigh her own.
“The students, my family and friends might be more excited than I am,” she said. “I’m calm.”
Castanio-Gervasi, a 2010 graduate of Oceanside High School who now lives in East Rockaway, said she hasn’t practiced much due to the recent injury. The distance of the halftime field goal has not yet been announced.
“I don’t want to overanalyze this,” she said with a laugh. “I just want my natural abilities to take over.”
If all four contestants make the kick, the $100,000 prize will be split evenly. If two are successful, each will receive $50,000. If only one contestant makes the kick, that person will take home the full prize.
And if she wins?
Castanio-Gervasi said she plans to put the money toward buying a house — and donate a portion to the Esophageal Cancer Education Foundation in memory of her father, Frank.
Top: Ashley Castanio-Gervasi and her husband, Matthew Gervasi, at MetLife Stadium for a recent Jets game. (courtesy photo)
