No. 13 Ranked Smithtown East Lady Bulls Team Preview

Coming in at Number 13 in our top 25 rankings are the Smithtown East Lady Bulls. They are coming off of a great 2021 season that saw them go 13-3 and make it all the way to the county championship game. This was the deepest playoff run in the history of the program. They fell to Northport by a score of 9-8 who went on to win the Long Island Class A Championship. Last Year was Coach Anne Naughton’s last year coaching and she will be missed, an absolute first class mentor for the girls. First Year coach BrieClaire ‘BC’ Sheehy will be taking the reins over for the Lady Bulls. What an incredible young coach to step in for legend Anne Naughton. The Bulls lax community has got to be excited with this new hire and what Coach Sheehy will continue bringing to this program in the years to come.

Some of the key players who are returning for Smithtown East are Ava Arceri (Stanford), Nina DeNicola (Lehigh), Jenna Soto, and Kaitlyn Mongiello. DeNicola is entering her senior season and at the attack position was the team leader in points last season with 67. Arceri, who is a junior midfielder, was second on the team in points with 59. Soto is only a sophomore and got plenty of playing time as a freshman where she had 17 points playing at attack. Mongiello is the team’s starting goalie and is entering her senior season. Last year as a junior she had a near 55% save percentage. Expect these four players to be relied upon heavily if the Bulls want to continue their success.

A few players who graduated last year that were an integral part of the team were Alayna Costa, Dani Brady, and Amanda Moghadasi. Costa scored 36 goals and had 12 assists last season which accounted for a huge part of their offense. Brady and Moghadasi combined for 22 points. All three played the midfield position and their presence will certainly be missed on the field.

It is yet to be determined who the young guns might be that will get an opportunity to see playing time this year, but after tryouts there could be some young talented players that open the eyes of Coach Sheehy and have an important role on the team this year.

A few notable games that are on the schedule this season for Smithtown East are home against Ward Melville (4/26), at Huntington (5/3), and at Northport (5/9) in a rematch of last year’s county championship game. They defeated Ward Melville last season in their lone regular season matchup and beat Huntington both in the regular season and playoffs. Northport edged them out last year in the regular season and playoffs.

There is a lot of excitement around coach Sheehy and her team about what they can do this season.

“We are so excited for the upcoming 2022 season! We have a fantastic group of players and families that love the game. We look forward to staying focused, working hard, and making it a memorable season!

Smithtown East has some notable alums of late! Shannon Kavanagh who just wrapped up an amazing four year career at the University of Florida, graduating in 2021. In her senior season she was IWLCA All-America First Team, and AAC Midfielder of the Year. Other recent notable alums include:

Dani Brady- Maryland
Alayna Costa- John’s Hopkins
Amanda Mohgadasi- UConn
Maddelina Signorile – Arizona State
Ella Whitehouse – Stony Brook
Sophia DeNicola- Michigan
Gabby Schneider – Lehigh

 

 

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