Pierson Grad James Leads Bonac Field Hockey to Thrilling Win Over Former Team

The long walk from the parking lot to the field hockey field at the back corner of Mashashimuet Park was a meaningful one for East Hampton head coach Sami James on Friday afternoon.

And during the walk back to the bus less than three hours later, she had a smile on her face.

James, a 2011 Pierson graduate, led East Hampton to a thrilling 2-0 win over the Whalers in what is her first year as head coach of the Bonackers. The game was a tight contest between two teams that were not far apart from each other in the middle of the pack in the Division II power rankings. After four scoreless quarters and another scoreless 10 minutes of 7-vs-7 sudden-death overtime, the game went to a round of one-on-one shootouts, where five players from each team are chosen to take on the goalie, one by one, and try to score, with a set time limit, starting at the 25-yard line. The Bonackers emerged victorious, 2-0, in that extra session.

East Hampton improved to 5-2 on the season with the win, while Pierson fell to 3-5.

It was an evenly matched game that was mostly played in the midfield, with neither team generating much in the way of scoring opportunities. Melina Sarlo scored the first goal of the one-on-one shootout for East Hampton, while Emma McGrory had the second.

For James, who is a third-grade teacher at John Marshall Elementary School, it was exactly the kind of outcome she’d hoped for against her former team — a hard-fought contest between nearby rivals, but with good competitive spirit, as many of the girls on both teams are friends from playing travel field hockey together.

“It was very nostalgic walking up there with my team,” James said. She was a key player for the Whalers when they advanced to the New York State Class C championship game during her senior year. “I actually sent a video to my friends, saying, ‘Look where I am!’ It was so weird. But it was very exciting watching them play, too. It was an all around good game.”

The win helped East Hampton rebound from a 3-1 loss at Shoreham/Wading River two days earlier. Pierson, meanwhile, was coming off a 1-0 win at Eastport/South Manor on September 22. Lilly Perello scored the lone goal in that game, a reverse flick shot off an assist from Elena Morello during a corner play with 43 seconds left before halftime. Cali Wilson made nine saves for the shutout.

East Hampton will visit Southampton on September 30 for a 4:30 p.m. game and will host Comsewogue for a 3:30 p.m. game on October 4. Pierson was scheduled to visit Sayville on September 28 at 4 p.m. and will host Harborfields on October 3 at 5 p.m.