May 2: Riverhead 18, Central Islip 2

Riverhead’s win streak continues! The latest victory over Central Islip now makes it nine wins in a row. With six games left to play, they only need one more win to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in a decade. Camden Wallace threw four innings and struck out three while only allowing four hits and one earned run. Wallace also went 1-for-2 at the plate with 2 RBIs and three runs scored. Brady Hubbard hit 4-for-6 with two RBIs and four runs. Matt Zambriski had two hits and Max Gajowski went 4-for-4. Riverhead hosts William Floyd Thursday, May 8, at 4 p.m.

May 3: Shoreham-Wading River 15, Smithtown East 10

In another non-league game, the Wildcats take down another team in a higher division. They’ve played better against the top leagues in the county than the teams in their own division. Aidan Reilly lead the way for Shoreham-Wading River (7–7) as he drove in five runners on his team-leading four hits on the day. Reilly doubled in the first scoring two and then singled in the sixth plating another two. SWR had a total of 12 hits in the victory. It was a well-needed victory after dropping two of three to Kings Park last week. SWR travels to Rocky Point Thursday, May 8, for a 4 p.m. game.

Boys Lacrosse

May 5: Bayport-Blue Point 11, Shoreham-Wading River 3

In a rematch of last year’s Suffolk County Class C championship, Bayport-Blue Point came out on top as Shoreham-Wading River (4–5, Division II) continues to try to find their identity amidst losing nearly their entire lineup to graduation last year. Andrew Cimino scored all three goals against Bayport-Blue Point as the Wildcats struggled to stick with the reigning champs. SWR still has five games to right the ship and make the playoffs. Coming up, they’ll host Eastport-South Manor Thursday, May 8, for a 4:30 p.m. start.

May 2: Northport 16, Riverhead 3

The struggles continue for Riverhead a year after setting a program record in wins. After losing their best playmakers and scorers to graduation, Riverhead (3–7, Division I) has had trouble scoring goals against the top teams in the division. Logan Dempsey, Connor Downs and Nathan Nentwich all scored one goal against Northport, which scored 11 goals in the first half of the game. The playoffs may be off the table this go around, unless they manage to win the final four games to have a shot. They’ll travel to Smithtown East Friday, May 9, for a 4:30 p.m. game. 

Girls Lacrosse

May 2: Mt. Sinai 19, Shoreham-Wading River 10

It’s been a rough go for Shoreham-Wading River in Division II play. They’ve won all five games against opponents in Division I. The latest loss against Mt. Sinai puts their league record at 1–4 with six more games to play. The Wildcats came out strong with a 4–3 first quarter, but they were unable to stop Mt. Sinai’s attack the rest of the way. Charlotte Erb scored a team-high three goals. Reese Marcario led the team in assists with five. Shoreham-Wading River will travel to Bayport-Blue Point Thursday, May 8, for a 4 p.m. game start. 

May 1: Middle Country 9, Riverhead 6

After a very promising start, winning their first four of six games, Riverhead (3–7, Division I) has now lost five games in a row to essentially eliminate themselves from playoff contention. The Blue Waves have been dealing with injuries all season long and have lost a handful of close games. Against Middle Country, Logan Pilon led the way with two goals and an assist. Evelyn Skop, Adrianna Mosca, Sacha Richard and Molly Stevens all scored a goal in the game. Riverhead will host Connetquot Thursday, May 8, for a 5:15 p.m. start.

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April 28: Riverhead 9, Patchogue-Medford 5

All season long, Patchogue-Medford was the top dog in the division, sporting an undefeated 11–0 record. That was, until they came to visit Riverhead. Mya Marelli pitched five innings and struck out 10 in the 9-5 victory. Bella D’Andrea hit 2-for-4 with a double, triple and four RBIs. Jordyn Kwasna went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs. Patchogue-Medford went on to lose their next game against Half Hollow Hills, so Riverhead (9–2) is now tied for first place and in control of their own destiny for another league title. Riverhead will travel to Half Hollow Hills Thursday, May 1, for a 4 p.m. first pitch. 

Boys Lacrosse

April 29: Smithtown West 8, Shoreham-Wading River 3

Shoreham-Wading River is going through a rough stretch in the middle of the season. The most recent loss against Smithtown West now marks three losses in a row for the Wildcats — uncharted territory for a lacrosse program that routinely makes the playoffs and competes for championships. In the loss against Smithtown West, Andrew Cimino, Tyler Nowaski and Noah Gregorek each scored a goal. Angelina Price made 12 saves. SWR will try to turn things around Thursday, May 1, when they travel to Mattituck for a noon start. 

April 24: Riverhead 19, Copiague 1

After two straight losses, Riverhead broke out with a season-high of 19 goals against Copiague to bring their Division I record to 3–5. The Blue Waves had 11 different goal scorers in the blowout victory. Jaxson Binkis led the team in goals scored with three. Ruairi McElhinney had six points with one goal and five assists. Logan Dempsey scored twice and assisted on two others. Nine goals were scored in the first quarter. Riverhead will travel to Northport Friday, May 2, at 4 p.m.

Girls Lacrosse 

April 29: Smithtown East 13, Riverhead 12

In a back-and-forth battle against Smithtown East, Riverhead came up short in the final quarter of the game. After a 0–0 first period, both teams scored seven goals in the second. The third quarter featured no goals as well, before Smithtown East was able to score six times versus just five for Riverhead. This now marks two consecutive losses by only one goal for the Blue Waves. Logan Pilon scored five goals and Evelyn Skop scored four times. Riverhead (4–6) will travel to Middle Country Friday, May 1, for a 4 p.m. game start. 

April 28: Shoreham-Wading River 17, Bronxville 10

In a non-league contest, Shoreham-Wading River came out on top with goals scored in every quarter of play. The Wildcats scored as many as five goals in two of the quarters. Reese Marcario and Maddy Herr led the team with six points apiece. Herr scored five goals and tallied one assist. Marcario scored twice and assisted on four goals. Grayce Kitchen scored four goals in the high-scoring affair. Though their overall record sits at 6–3, SWR has struggled in the league with a record of 1–3. SWR will travel to Mt. Sinai Friday, May 2, for a 5 p.m. start. 

Girls Golf

April 29: Riverhead 6, Mt. Sinai 3

Riverhead continued its winning ways with a victory over Mt. Sinai on Tuesday. The win improved their league record to 6–2 — only losing matches this season against Sachem and Southampton. Madison Marshak led all golfers with a 45 through nine holes, with the winds whipping through Long Island making for less than desirable playing conditions.

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BASEBALL

April 15: Riverhead 12, Brentwood 0

Have a day, Matthew Zambriski! The sophomore phenom hurled five innings of shutout ball and struck out 12 en route to the victory over Brentwood. He also went 4-for-4 at the plate with two doubles, a triple and four RBIs. Drew Legrady went 2-for-4. It’s a big win for Riverhead (3-4) as it’s just one win away from tying their win total from last year with 13 games left to play. The Blue Waves will be in action again Tuesday, April 22, for a 4 p.m. first pitch at Westhampton.

BOYS LACROSSE

April 11: Shoreham-Wading River 14, Port Jefferson 5

The Wildcats have now won two in a row following their opening two losses. They got ahead 8-1 by halftime and never let off the gas pedal against Port Jefferson.

Noah Gregorek led the team in goals scored with five — marking a career-high. He also had four assists. Lucas Diamond wasn’t too far behind with four goals.

Andrew Cimino had a massive day as well, scoring three times and collecting six assists. Shoreham-Wading River (2-2) will host Hauppauge Monday, April 21, at 4 p.m.

April 10: Riverhead 9, North Babylon 2

Riverhead (3-4) came out of the gates storming against North Babylon, scoring six goals in the first quarter alone.

Nathan Nentwich led the team in points with two goals and three assists. Logan Dempsey scored three times. Ruairi McElhinney scored twice and assisted on two others. The Blue Waves need to string together some wins to get themselves back in the playoffs after last year’s historic run. Riverhead will host Commack Tuesday, April 22, at 5:15 p.m.

GIRLS LACROSSE

April 15: Riverhead 16, Lindenhurst 4

Riverhead’s girls lacrosse team is on fire! In what looks to be their best start in many years, the Blue Waves put a hurting on Lindenhurst in their latest victory that pushed their record to 4-2. It’s now three wins in a row for Riverhead. Logan Pilon and Sadie Shultz both registered five points in the win. Pilon collected three goals and two assists. Shultz led the team in goals scored with four and registered one assist. Molly Stevens completed a hat-trick as well with three goals. Pilon is now tied for fifth in Suffolk County with 23 goals. Riverhead will travel to Sachem North Thursday, April 17, for a 4 p.m. game to continue its hot streak.

April 14: Shoreham-Wading River 17, West Babylon 7

After losing their first game of the season against Westhampton, Shoreham-Wading River (4-1) got back to their winning ways with a blowout win over West Babylon. Eight different players found the back of the net in the commanding victory. Reese Marcario led the team in points with three goals and three assists. Grayce Kitchen and Kady Keegan each scored four times. Maddy Herr scored twice and assisted on two goals. The Wildcats continue their charge to the top of the division. They’ll host Harborfields Tuesday, April 22, at 5 p.m.

SOFTBALL

April 15: Patchogue-Medford 6, Riverhead 5

There’s been some chinks in the armor early on the Riverhead (5-3) as they’ve found themselves in the losing column multiple times this season. With Mya Marelli still not at full health, Riverhead has been trying to piece together a pitching staff in her absence. Riverhead had the lead against undefeated Pat-Med, 5-2, after home runs by Marelli and Jordyn Kwasna — but they couldn’t keep the Raiders off the board and eventually came up short in the end.

Riverhead will look to get back on track Monday, April 21, at Central Islip for a 4:30 p.m. game start.

GIRLS GOLF

April 10: Riverhead 7, Shoreham-Wading River 2

Riverhead dominated the matchup against Shoreham-Wading River with ninth-grader Madison Marshak leading the way with a 41 through nine holes.

Consistent play at the top three in the lineup has paced the Blue Waves to a 3-1 record in the league. The match they lost was by one single stroke. Angelina Gust carded a 51 and Annabelle Dunn finished with a 57 to snag wins in the top three slots. Taylor Dietz led the way for Shoreham-Wading River with a score of 54. Riverhead will travel to Rocky Point Tuesday, April 22, for a 4 p.m. tee time.

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“The guys we have out there are just inexperienced,” SWR head coach Mike Taylor said.  “There’s just so many variables they have to learn on the fly here. It’s one thing to play in practice, and it’s another being thrust into top quality game competition. There’s so many small little things that come up and need to be corrected.”

After the opening two losses, the captains got together and vowed to be more involved in the leadership aspect of the team. 

“We had all these great seniors last year that went to big Division I schools like Duke,” long-stick midfielder George Greene said. “We all looked to them for support and now that support has to be us. We realized that early on. It’s up to us to step up and be those leaders.”

Shoreham-Wading River took the field on a wet, damp rainy Monday evening at Miller Place High School and dominated all four quarters of play. They got ahead and never looked back, ending the night with a 16-5 victory — their first of the season. 

“The goal coming into today was to play quarter by quarter,” Taylor said. “I wanted us to win a quarter first because I felt like we hadn’t done that all season. Today we won all four quarters so that’s a great sign for us.”

Andrew Cimino — one of the few returning starters from last season — had a big day, netting five goals and registering an assist on another. 

“It came down to learning how to work with each other,” Cimino said. “It was like a me-me situation in those two games. We realized that we can’t win games like that. Everybody needs to contribute for us to come out on top.”

Those contributions were evident as six players found the scoring column throughout the game. Lucas Diamond led the team in points with three goals and four assists. Noah Gregorek scored twice and collected four assists. Eighth grader Jack White scored three times and Anthony Mullen found the back of the net twice.

“The ball was flowing on offense,” Diamond said. “The defense was working hard. We were getting after ground balls — it was a full team effort today for sure.”

Playing a game against two of the top teams on Long Island in Massapequa and East Islip back to back to start the season was a major test for the Wildcats. It showed how much work they have to do to keep pace with the top echelon teams in the division.

“We’ve been really working hard on the fundamentals. We don’t have the flash this year. We don’t have 16 Division I guys on the roster,” Taylor said. “Very talented, don’t get me wrong, but just inexperienced. I think in time things are going to click.”

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MARCH 29: RIVERHEAD 10, HAUPPAGUE 8

In a non-league contest, Riverhead won its first game of the season, proving they still have talent on the roster after graduating key players from last year’s playoff run. Riverhead (1-1) trailed 4-3 at halftime before taking a lead in the second half and holding the Eagles off the rest of the way. Jaxon Binkis had a career night, scoring four goals and an assist. Logan Dempsey and Connor Downs each scored two goals for the Blue Waves. The Blue Waves travel to Half Hollow Hills on April 5 for a 2:00pm game.

MARCH 25: MANHASSET 17, SHOREHAM- WADING RIVER 7

In their first true test of the season after losing a full starting lineup of starters, the Wildcats fell in a nonleague contest against Manhasset. Behind a strong second and third quarter, scoring 12 of their 17 goals, Manhasset looked to already be in midseason form. Shoreham-Wading River (0-1) scored six goals in the second half. SWR’s Noah Gregorek did most of the damage, leading the team with four goals. SWR travels to Miller Place on April 7 for a 4:30 p.m. game.

GIRLS LACROSSE

MARCH 29: SHOREHAM-WADING RIVER 10, MASSAPEQUA 8

In their first game of the season against a tough non-league opponent in Massapequa, the Wildcats battled to the final whistle. They took a two-goal lead into halftime and traded goals for the rest of the game to earn the victory. Massapequa tied the game in the third quarter before Shoreham-Wading River (1-0) scored two in the fourth to put it away. Reese Marcario led the Wildcats with three goals. Charlotte Erb and Maddy Herr both added two goals. The Wildcats host Center Moriches April 8 at 5pm.

MARCH 28: RIVERHEAD 17, HAMPTON BAYS 6

Riverhead put on a show in their first game out on the turf at Pulaski Street Sports Complex. Led by seniors Logan Pilon and Sadie Schultz, this group of girls is destined to have a big year. Against Hampton Bays, Riverhead (1-0) put up 10 goals in the first half to put the game away early. Pilon scored a game-high four goals. Both Schultz and Evelyn Skop scored three goals and registered two assists. The Blue Waves host Half Hollow Hills on April 4 at 4 p.m.

SOFTBALL

MARCH 31: RIVERHEAD 19, CENTRAL ISLIP 6

A year removed from going undefeated in the league, Riverhead (2-0) is off to a hot start again. They’ve scored 39 runs in their first two games of the season – they mean business. Against Central Islip, Mya Marelli hit 3-for-3 with three RBIs. Sophia Viola also had a perfect night at the plate, hitting 4-for-4. Riverhead also got their first homerun on the board for the season when Jordyn Kwasna ripped one over the centerfield wall. Riverhead travels to Longwood April 3 at for a 4 p.m. game.

BASEBALL

APRIL 1: RIVERHEAD 7, PATCHOGUE-MEDFORD 6

After a 4-16 record last year, Riverhead came out of the gates with a very encouraging performance against Patchogue-Medford. The game needed extra innings after Camden Wallace hit an RBI single and Ray Coty drew a bases-loaded walk to give Riverhead (1-0) some breathing room in the bottom of the eighth inning. Wallace pitched in relief and closed out the game for the Blue Waves. Matthew Zambriski started the game and hurled 4 innings, striking out seven. Riverhead’s Brady Hubbard and Jason Davis both had big days at the plate, hitting 3-for-4. Riverhead will host Patchogue-Medford in game two of the series April 3 at 4 p.m.

GIRLS GOLF

APRIL 1: RIVERHEAD 9, LONGWOOD 0

Despite the cold weather, the Riverhead girls golf team dominated up and down their lineup with a clean 9-0 victory over Longwood. Madison Marshak led all golfers with a 41 in 9 holes. Angelina Gust finished second with a score of 43. Annabelle Dunn posted a personal best 56 in the victory. Riverhead will play Longwood again on April 3, this time at their home course, Cherry Creek Golf Links.

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Liam Kershis did it all for Shoreham-Wading River during his years as a Wildcat. He consistently scored 30-plus goals every season dating back to his freshman year. In his junior season, he scored 59 goals and notched 38 assists while guiding the Wildcats to a Suffolk County title.

Kershis finished his senior year ranked fifth in all of Suffolk County, with 86 total points scored, before later being named an All-American. After starring in the Senior All-America game, he was named MVP for his final high school career hurrah. The scoring star was fiercely recruited out of high school and decided on Duke University to continue his academic and athletic careers. 

Playing with the best in the country for the perennial powerhouse Duke, Kershis has found his way into the lineup not only as a substitute but, more often than not, as a starter. 

“I’m settling in pretty well,” Kershis said in a text this week. “I’m getting good playing time. Love the guys and the coaches I’m surrounded by.”

Duke has sprinted out to a 7-1 overall record and Kershis has played in all eight games, starting in five of them. He’s scored seven goals and assisted on three others. The seven goals are good for sixth on the team as he continues to adjust to the ramped up speed of college play. His highest scoring effort was a two-goal game — which happened to be against his brother Alex’s team, Jacksonville University.

 “There hasn’t been that much of a difference,” Kershis said, comparing college play to his high school years. “I mean, everyone is more talented for sure, but that makes the offense easier as well.”

Fellow local standout Griffin Sumwalt played a major part in Riverhead’s lacrosse resurgence. As a senior last year, he led the Blue Waves to the playoffs for the first time since 2019. They posted their best record in school history (14-4) and even won their opening round playoff game against Commack. 

Sumwalt set school records in his senior year, including 83 points in a single season, 54 goals in a single season and 192 points in a career. His legacy as a Blue Wave will be written in bold letters throughout the record books for years to come. After the season, he was tabbed a USA Lacrosse Academic All-American. 

The senior attacker decided on the University of Massachusetts at Lowell to continue his athletic and academic career. He fits right into his new surroundings and has started five of the six games this season en route to a 3-3 record. The lefty sharpshooter has registered four goals and two assists to start the season.

“The college lax experience has been great so far,” Sumwalt said. “I feel like I’m settling in well. The competition is definitely high. I’d say the speed is faster compared to high school, but I feel right at home.”

Getting playing time as a freshman is out of the ordinary, but Kershis and Sumwalt are threatening to break that mold and become instant contributors to the D1 programs — further proof that East End lacrosse is a growing hub for the best talent in the nation.

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Riverhead lax alum Goodale training with Team USA

Growing up on her family farm in Riverhead shaped who Katie Goodale is as she blossomed into a prized Division I recruit. Being a natural defender vaulted her up the depth chart at Syracuse University and she left the school with a few records, including being the all-time leader in caused turnovers. Having graduated, she’s now onto a new goal: making Team USA’s roster. 

Blue Waves win PAL football titles

In the midst of the worst stretch in Riverhead high school football history, help is on the way. Both the 10u and 11u football teams won PAL championships under the leadership of two championship coaches. Rasheen Moore and Mike Heigh both won championships as members of the Blue Waves and now they’re trying to instill that old-school culture into the youth.

Freshman Wildcat Mangano wins national tourney

After winning his first state title during the school season, Gavin Mangano took it a step further and brought home a national title in April after wrestling at the National High School Coaches Association tournament in Virginia Beach. Eighty wrestlers from all over the country were in his weight class and Mangano stood above them all. It was a perfect cap to his freshman season at SWR.

Riverhead alum Julia Morrow earns Hall of Fame honors

After being one of the best pitchers in school history on the softball circle at Riverhead, Morrow continued her domination at the University of Tampa. She is the only pitcher ever to throw a perfect game at Riverhead — and produced two more in college. The two-time All-American was inducted into the University of Tampa Hall of Fame on Oct. 17.

Blue Wave alums make it to The Show

Two brothers from Riverhead’s graduating class of 2013 worked their way up from the lowest ranks of MLB back offices to now being prominent staff members for the Texas Rangers and Colorado Rockies. Tyler Carroll is tasked with scouting for Texas and Connor Carroll works on the player development side for the Rockies. 

Softball: Blue Waves cap historic season

For the first time in school history, Riverhead’s varsity softball team went a perfect 18-0 after defeating Half Hollow Hills West in the last game of the regular season. The game went into extra innings and the Blue Waves came out on top 5-6 after Mya Marelli smashed the game-winning hit. Marelli also won Big Schools Pitcher of the Year before Riverhead lost in the Suffolk County semifinal.

Riverhead boys lax squad among school’s best ever

After taking its lumps as a young team for a few seasons, the Blue Waves lacrosse team finally emerged with a strong senior class this year, taking the program to levels it hasn’t seen before. Griffin Sumwalt finished his career as the all-time leader in goals and points scored. The team ended up posting a 11-3 division record — the best in school history.

SWR girls soccer win another title

For the second year in a row, Shoreham-Wading River’s girls soccer team won the Class A Long Island championship, sending the team to play in the New York State Final Four in Cortland. The Wildcats accomplished this feat without their star player last year, Grace Hillis, which made this year’s run that much more remarkable. Mia Mangano scored the opening goal as the Wildcats prevailed over Wantagh, 2-0.

Riverhead alum takes over fledgling track program

Ryan Budd has been a champion at every level. He won a first-ever Long Island championship as a member of Riverhead’s football team. Then,  at Central Connecticut State, he helped the team win its first title in history. He went on to coach at Wagner College and that team also won their first-ever championship. Now he’s up for a new challenge: Budd recently took the head track and field coaching job at Western Connecticut State University – a team that never existed before.

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Farm duties were always something “that had to be done” as a member of the Goodale family. Katie and her siblings learned the value of hard work from a young age. The animals needed to be tended to and everybody had a job.

“Growing up we would always work for my dad,” Goodale said. “It’s not like we were forced to do anything but if something needs to be done, it needs to be done. It’s not like you wake up and decide ‘I’m not doing this today.’ We all chipped in.”

A lot of times being part of a farming family almost obligates you to continue in your parents footsteps but there was never any pressure for Goodale to take over the farm. It allowed her to focus on things that she loved to do. Her parents supported her in any direction she wanted her life to lead. Turns out her mentality on the farm translated directly to sports.

“There’s always a right thing to do and maybe it’s not what you immediately want to do,” Goodale said about her playing philosophy. “But again the work always has to be done. Like when I was at college I always dreaded going and doing conditioning but it has to be done and that’s that.”

Lacrosse was introduced to Goodale in second grade by her friend’s parents. It just so happened that most of her friends also turned into Division I recruits. Megan Kielbasa went to Johns Hopkins University, Chrissy Thomas went to the University of Maryland, and Emma Panciocco attended the University of Florida. Ten seniors in total signed on to play lacrosse for colleges in her class. Whatever was done in those early years paid off tremendously. 

“It was unheard of really at the time to get so many recruits coming out of Riverhead,” Goodale said. “Other schools, yes, but we didn’t really have the resources out here like other schools did. But we did what we could. I went to play travel lacrosse and had to drive to East Islip because that was the closest team to us.”

The biggest crime of all was that Goodale never played her senior year at Riverhead because of COVID-19 shutting down the season. After making it to the Suffolk County semifinals her sophomore and junior seasons, her senior year would’ve been arguably the best girls lacrosse team Riverhead had ever seen. The pieces were there to make a run but COVID had other plans.

Luckily enough for Goodale, she had already committed to Syracuse University her freshman year in high school. At the time, there were no rules against recruiting early. 

“I just remember being a freshman in high school and having to miss classes to go on college visits, it was surreal,” Goodale said. “All my friends also committed at that time. It’s crazy that now it’s completely different.”

Right after Goodale committed however, the rule of no recruiting until junior year was implemented. Her communication with the program had to be cut off but her scholarship offer remained intact over all the years and she never considered going anywhere else.

“Syracuse to me is just such a special place,” Goodale said. “I knew once I visited there it was the place I wanted to go. The feeling I had for that first visit is the feeling I had every day at that school. I knew I made the right choice once I got there.”

When you hear about the best players on a lacrosse team, it’s usually the goal scorers or the midfielders or the goalie but very rarely do you hear about the defender getting any recognition. Because Goodale was a natural defender from a young age, she really set herself apart from the rest.

“I don’t even remember how I became a defender because I’m sure nobody really wants to play defense,” Goodale said, with a laugh. “In PAL, we all played every position but I think in 5th grade I made the switch permanently. There’s an unselfishness about playing defense. Yeah, you might not be getting all the glory for scoring the game-winning goal but without the defense you’re not going to even get a chance to score the winning goal. I found a love in taking the ball away from people.”

Turns out she was one of the best in Syracuse University history doing just that. In Goodale’s four years Syracuse made the NCAA Final Four three times. She finished her career with 102 caused turnovers, a program record and is just the second player in program history with 100 ground balls and 100 caused turnovers in her career.

Her sophomore and junior year Goodale posted 55 caused turnovers. In her junior year she also started competing in the draw circle, coming away with 63 draw controls. Though Goodale felt like she was doing well in terms of statistics, she didn’t get much national recognition.

“I’ve been used to not getting awards my whole life,” Goodale said. “It didn’t bother me too much because ultimately the only award I wanted was a national title as a team. But I put everything into my senior season and didn’t want to leave without giving it my all.”

But before senior year, Goodale had to have surgery on her foot which really left her mentally drained. She had to sit out the fall season. A conversation she had with a sports psychologist at Syracuse helped her make the biggest leap in her final collegiate season this year. 

“I wanted this year to be my best,” Goodale said. “I told him all these things I want to accomplish. And he was like ‘I believe in you. You’re going to go do those things this year.’ I remember meeting with him and it being a very emotional meeting. I came out of it thinking I need to put in the work because I know someone believes in me. Just because I’ve been here for three years doesn’t mean I don’t have to watch film or work as hard. I wanted to prove him right.”

Her work paid off. It was her best season yet. Goodale set a single-season record 45 caused turnovers. She earned All-ACC First Team, All-North East Region First Team, and was named first-team All-America by USA and Inside Lacrosse Magazine. It was a perfect end to a collegiate career, despite not lifting the NCAA title trophy. Goodale was ready to hang up her cleats. That was until she got an email from USA lacrosse.

“I ended my college career and was kinda like I’m never going to play lacrosse again,” Goodale said. “I wasn’t drafted into the professional girls lacrosse league so I figured it was over. Lacrosse was on my mind all summer and I continued to stay in shape and trained younger girls. In September, I got a text and email asking if I wanted to be added into the Senior USA lacrosse player pool. It was so unexpected and I immediately started seriously training again.”

Goodale didn’t know whether she would be chosen or not but she committed back to the grind and headed to Syracuse to work. Sure enough a week later she got the official invite to the USA team training camp in November at Lakeland Ranch, FL. 

“You grow up watching these people on Team USA,” Goodale said. “They’re so elite. They’re so good. I always wanted to be them growing up. And here I am trying out for that team. I don’t even know how it happened but I’m so thankful for the opportunity.”

Twenty-two players make the final roster for The World Games in 2026. There will be multiple training camps before they decide on a final roster. Goodale is just taking it all in stride and putting her best foot forward. She hopes her story can inspire other young players growing up in Riverhead.

“What got me to this point is the fact that I love lacrosse,” Goodale said. “Having a true love and true passion for the game allows you to be a true student of the game. If you don’t have the passion for what it is you’re doing you’re not going to want to get better. That’s life in general. Maybe it’s not lacrosse but find something you love to do and it’ll never feel like work.”

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With the fundraising efforts the club was able to raise $500 for the scholarship fund. Originally started in 2018 in partnership with the Police Athletic League, the event was shut down during the COVID years. It was resurrected in 2021 and has been going strong ever since.

“It means a lot to me to make it out to this event every year with the other alumni,” said Blake Carrara, one of the highest rated recruits in Riverhead history, who committed to the University of Maryland in 2016. “It’s great to be back on the field. The skill level clearly gets better every year and it’s great to see how far the program has come along since all of the alumni were kids just starting the game of lacrosse.”

The annual reunion game may be good fun for a cause, but the competition is real and trash talk is normal occurrence. Current Riverhead coaches Vic Guadagnino and Chris Nentwich referee the game and let an alumnus coach each team.

“Believe me, there’s definitely fouls happening,” Guadagnino said. “They’re playing hard, flying around the field and both of the teams want to win. I don’t call all the fouls but some are too obvious.”

The opposing teams are typically made of odd graduating years verse even graduating years, but there were too many participants from the even years this time around so the teams had to be switched up a bit. Among the standouts this year was goalie Jacob Coleman.

“Coleman was ridiculous out there,” Guadagnino said. “We had some of the best attackmen in the program shooting at him, including one of the best in Ryan Hubbard. He was just a brick wall.”

But overall it’s an experience that brings the program full circle. Younger players help out and volunteer their time, while the alumni strap on their old gear and see if they still have what it takes. To have such active participation in the event shows how strong the program has become over the years.

Bolla Oil Corporation sponsored the entire event but the lacrosse club also enlisted field sponsors including Alan Hubbard Electrical Contracting, Frame-Tek, Lighthouse Market, North Fork Dental Associates and Maple Tree Deli, as well as the Healy, Lennon, Nentwich, Winkel, Redmond, Sumwalt and Zaleski families.

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April 19: Riverhead 6, Central Islip 5

April 22: Shoreham-Wading River 7, Center Moriches 1

Boys Lacrosse 

April 22: Shoreham-Wading River 12, Harborfields 6

April 18: Riverhead 9, South Fork 8

Girls Golf

April 17: Riverhead 9, Rocky Point 0

Boys Tennis

April 18: Shoreham-Wading River 6, William Floyd 1

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