15 Photos
East Hampton eighth-grader Shayla Buestan heads toward the goal. MICHAEL O'CONNOR
Elle Reidlinger congratulates Rihanna Pinos after scoring a goal. MICHAEL O'CONNOR
Hampton Bays freshman Val Lopez bring the ball downfield. MICHAEL O'CONNOR
Hampton Bays senior goalie Jordyn Heaney makes an initial stop on a shot but East Hampton senior Rihanna Pinos knocked in the rebound for the first goal of the game. MICHAEL O'CONNOR
Hampton Bays freshman Nikolle Medina controls the ball. MICHAEL O'CONNOR
Hampton Bays senior Damaris Garcis tries to stop an East Hampton player. MICHAEL O'CONNOR
East Hampton eighth-grader Elle Reidlinger sends the ball. MICHAEL O'CONNOR
East Hampton eighth-grader Shayla Buestan races the ball downfield. MICHAEL O'CONNOR
East Hampton eighth-grader Gabriela Montes fends off Hampton Bays eighth-grader Alejandra Montoya. MICHAEL O'CONNOR
Hampton Bays sophomore Brianna Farrell takes on East Hampton freshman Kaylee Munoz. MICHAEL O'CONNOR
Hampton Bays sophomore Brianna Farrell heads the ball. MICHAEL O'CONNOR
Bonacker Shayla Buestan takes a shot on goal. MICHAEL O'CONNOR
Hampton Bays goalie Jordyn Heaney comes out to stop East Hampton's Shayla Buestan. MICHAEL O'CONNOR
East Hampton eighth-grader Shayla Buestan gets the ball passed Hampton Bays goalie Jordyn Heaney for a goal. MICHAEL O'CONNOR
Hampton Bays freshman Emely Reinoso. MICHAEL O'CONNOR
It hasn’t been the easiest season thus far for the East Hampton/Pierson girls soccer team.
Players and coaches came into this fall knowing that it was going to be an uphill battle from the start. After graduating 12 seniors following the conclusion of last season, eight of whom were starters, head coach Cara Nelson knew that playing in Division II wasn’t going to help her program. She petitioned Section XI to play in Division III instead, to have some competitive games, which meant being ineligible from the postseason. While it’s helped, she didn’t know the unknown — that she would lose both of her goalkeepers to injures in the first two weeks of the season, and that three additional players would sustain season-ending injuries as well, which has only made the team that much younger.
Last week at Hampton Bays, another young team, the Bonackers knew they had one of their few opportunities for a victory and they came through in a hard-fought 2-1 decision on September 28. It was just the team’s second victory of the season after a 3-0 nonleague win over Port Jefferson in the season opener on August 30.
Due to all of their injuries, the Bonackers feature three eighth-graders and a freshman who Nelson said they plan to build the program around the next few years, and it was the young underclassmen who shined in last week’s victory.
After sophomore Hailey Benenaula took a shot from outside the box, senior Rihanna Pinos crashed the net for the rebound and scored to give East Hampton a 1-0 lead at halftime. In the second half, eighth-grader Elle Reidlinger played a ball in to fellow classmate Shayla Buestan, who dribbled past a pair of defenders and broke toward the goal, burying the ball in the back right corner to put East Hampton up, 2-0.
Hampton Bays, which earned its lone victory this season in a 1-0 contest at home over Wyandanch on September 23, scored a late goal to avoid the shut out, but East Hampton was able to hold on for the one-goal victory. Hampton Bays senior Jordyn Heaney made nine saves in goal. Additional information on Hampton Bays was not provided.
East Hampton hosted Mount Sinai on Tuesday, is scheduled to play at Babylon this Friday at 5 p.m. and then will host Amityville this Tuesday, October 10, at 4:30 p.m.
Hampton Bays will play at Amityville this Thursday, October 5, at 5 p.m. and then will host Port Jefferson on October 11 at 4:30 p.m.
