Picture this…
It’s the last Monday in August and you have to be awake and ready by 7:30, at the track by 8:00, and ready to run a mile in 85 degree sunny, humid weather. Then for the rest of the week, up and ready by 5:30, then out the door to be at the field for 6:00 am practice. It’s torture for the players thinking about this for the weeks leading up to it, especially when it means no more sleeping in. But if you ask anyone on the team, no one would trade it for anything.
East Islip High School has had an official Varsity Field Hockey team since 1976. Every year after has been able to offer a talented, competitive team, and this past year was one of the most competitive yet.
To start the season, the team, led by Head Coach Christopher Veit and Assistant Coach Eric Bruckner, had their first big win against Greenport over on their grass field. The team won by the score 12-0. This was a great start to the season because everyone became more confident for what was to come. However the next game was one of the toughest of the season. Miller Place who EI held 0-0 through regulation and overtime, which finally led to a shootout where they fell by one goal.
On the bright side, in the game against Sayville, a tough competitor, the team got a long awaited win, 2-0. As we moved into the final 8 games, the team’s motivation was at an all-time high.
The girls went into the second half of the season feeling great, ready to make it to the playoffs and win big. Their first four games were all wins in which they never let up more than a goal and always scoring at least one too.
The game against Smithtown West was huge because if they won that game that would move them into the third seed for playoffs so everyone was stressed out and tense. EI started the game losing 1-0, but still hopeful and came back to take the lead 3-1. Varsity starter, freshman, Carli Caliguri said “It was my favorite game because I had a big breakaway and one of my best goals.”
The 2025-2026 East Islip Varsity Field Hockey team capped off the regular season with a record of 12-4, which earned the team a third seed spot in the Class B playoff bracket. This marked East Islip’s 28th playoff appearance in 30 years.
On October 28th, East Islip participated in their first playoff game of the post-season on their home turf, hosting No. 6 seed Shoreham Wading River. The match was held scoreless all throughout regulation, sending the game into a 7 v. 7 overtime. Halfway through overtime, having fans at the edge of their seats, East Islip was awarded a penalty stroke. Junior Emily Mooney went to take the shot. With the game and the season at rik… she stepped to the line. She shoots… and scores! Mooney moved East Islip into the next round.
East Islip had two days to prepare before taking on one of their toughest opponents, No.2 seed Harborfields. Unfortunately, the team fell short with a 3-0 loss by the end of regulation. This put an end to the season, leaving East Islip with a final record of 13-5.
After the season was over, there was still a lot of excitement for the team.
Senior Carly Amato attended the Suffolk County Senior All-Star Game on November 10th. “It was such an honor and a great experience getting to play with all of the high level players,” she said. “If I could play another game I would!”
In addition, nine players received recognition and honors at the Suffolk County Field Hockey Awards Dinner.
The girls also celebrated the season at the 29th Annual East Islip Field Hockey Banquet Dinner. During the celebration, Captains Carly Amato, Kylie Dickson, and Heather Heffernan delivered heartfelt speeches reflecting on the season as a whole, as well as their past four years spent apart of East Islip Field Hockey. They also passed on the captain torch to current juniors Kiersten Klein, Brooke McCally, and Emily Mooney.
Looking into this next season, we hope to return with the same energy and set the bar even higher, in hopes to make it even further than we ever had before.
