East Hampton Field Hockey Stays Unbeaten After Shootout Win

When the East Hampton field hockey team shot off to a 5-0 start this season, head coach Danielle Schuster was happy but not necessarily surprised. The teams they faced early on weren’t exactly the cream of the crop in Division II this season, and for a team looking to make a return to the Class B playoffs, taking care of business against squads like that was the first step toward success.

The true test would come when the Bonackers had to square off against the stronger teams in the division, Schuster said.

Thus far, they have risen to the occasion — and in thrilling fashion.

East Hampton came out on top in a pair of overtime nail-biters last week to stay unbeaten at 7-0, and in first place in the division. The Bonackers got past Sayville, 2-1, in sudden-death overtime at home on September 19, before beating Harborfields, 2-1, in a game that went to one-on-ones after the teams played to a 1-1 tie through regulation and a 10-minute sudden-death overtime.

Schuster called the Harborfields game “insanely well-played,” adding that it was a classic battle between two teams at the top of their game.

East Hampton struck first, when Emma McGrory scored on a corner, with an assist from Kerri O’Donnell, who inserted the ball for the corner. Harborfields tied it up with 10 seconds left in the third to force overtime.

East Hampton goalie Caeleigh Schuster came up big, making three saves in overtime, after making 14 saves in regulation. Coach Schuster also gave credit to the Bonac defense, including Ally Schaefer, Kerri O’Donnell, Brynley Lys and Ava Tintle, for playing a great game, pointing out that Tintle made two defensive saves and was “a complete wall” in the sweeper position.

After a scoreless 10-minute overtime period, the game goes to 1v1 shootouts, where each team selects five field players to go up against the opposing team’s goalie, alternating turns. Each player has 10 seconds to score, starting from the 25-yard line. They must dribble toward the goal and score from inside the scoring circle.

It’s a high-stakes, high-pressure situation, and the East Hampton players are made for it, according to Schuster.

“Caeleigh loves the intensity of the 1v1, and we have a lot of girls with great stick skills and are very lucky to have some depth in this situation,” she said.

Melina Sarlo, Tintle, McGrory, Ally Schaefer and Siena Link-Morse represented East Hampton, and Sarlo, McGrory and Schaefer scored. Schuster made three saves in goal to give the Bonackers the win.

Against Sayville, East Hampton dominated possession more throughout the contest but still needed overtime to pick up the win. Sarlo scored the game-winner in overtime off an assist from McGrory. McGrory had scored the first goal of the game, off an assist from Link-Morse, tying it up to force overtime just 14 seconds after Sayville opened the scoring in the third quarter.

Schuster had three saves.

“Our team is definitely rising to the occasion,” Schuster said of the hard-fought wins last week. “They are getting smarter and smarter every game. They work hard and they are all very coachable. It is an amazing group of girls. They truly are a field hockey family.”

Schuster expected her team to continue to face strong opposition as the week went on, with more quality opponents on the schedule.

East Hampton was slated to hit the road for three straight games, including a contest at third-place Bayport/Blue Point, which was seeded first going into the season, on September 27, followed by a game at Eastport-South Manor, another strong program, on October 2 at 4:30 p.m. Games against two more strong teams, Miller Place and Rocky Point, will follow.

“This will really test their stamina,” Schuster said of the upcoming games. “It will be a tough week. They’re a strong and dedicated group of girls, and they can do anything they put their minds to.”