This past Sunday the LILJ wrapped up the inaugural Fall Exposure League which featured five 2028 girls teams. The five teams that participated in the league were Legacy Blue, YJ Kidd/Carannante, YJ Fey, FLG All LI, and 91 Fusion. The four week league included playoffs which took place on the final Sunday. All five teams made the playoffs and the championship game was a matchup between top seeded Legacy Blue against the second seed YJ Kidd/Carannante. Ultimately it was the two seeded YJ Kidd/Carannante that came away with the championship with an 11-4 victory and an overall record of 5-1.
Throughout the course of the league there were a number of highly skilled players both offensively and defensively. Each team featured some standout players that left the league having made a big impact for their squad. Hannah Sliwak was certainly a top standout player for YJ Kidd/Carannante. Playing attack led the league in both points and assists. She was a maestro at distributing the ball with pinpoint passes to her teammates, averaging three assists per game and orchestrating an offense that averaged over 11 goals per game. Katie Murphy and Kaitlin Millett were two high level finishers that were the recipients of a lot of passes from Sliwak. Nora Ruddy, another standout player offensively for YJ Kidd/Carannante was an automatic goal scorer on 8 meter shots as well as in transition. Midfielder Paige Carney and defender Kiersten Cody both brought high intensity and stout on-ball defense, and Carney was a human clear with her speed to push in transition.
Legacy Blue who also finished 5-1 were consistently led by Kaelyn Aiello Taylor LaGrega and Ryleigh Busch. This trio of attackers were such dynamic scorers whether it was scoring off of making plays for one another or each of them winning their match ups one on one. Middies Grace Murphy and Charlotte Bishop also had their share of goals, combining to find the back of the net 11 times. They got tremendous goaltending from Theresa Codisipoti who finished with 22 saves which tied for second in the league, and a save percentage of 50% which was number one. Defenders Ella Little, and Olivia Luce also provided game changing plays whether it was trail-checking to cause turnovers or getting a stick out to alter 8 meter shots for the opposing team. In the six games Legacy played they only allowed 3.6 goals per game.
Finishing with a 3-3 record was YJ Fey. This team has a rising star on their hands with midfielder Kayla Grochow. She is a natural at scoring 8 meter shots, tucking her stick and hitting the corners at ease. Growchow is also a quick dodger and a team first player that attributes much of her success to those around her. Thea Gallinaro also brought an offensive spark for YJ Fey, tallying nine points with six goals and three assists playing attack. One other midfielder who didn’t go unnoticed was Francesca Zins who on the defensive end was chasing ground balls and was in the passing lanes forcing turnovers.
FLG standouts included defender Emma Lembo who was the anchor of the defense all fall. Lembo always played with her head up, had great anticipation and chased down ground balls looking to turn turnovers into transition opportunities on offense. Callie Schomburg also showed her instinct on the defensive side being able to react and deflect passes. They were backed by goalie Molly Giordano who finished with 27 saves which led all goalies in the league. Midfielder Madeline Kavanaugh was able to control the draws in most of her matchups.
Despite an 0-6 record for 91 Fusion goalie Kolby Marder ended the league with 22 saves tying for second overall which included a 10 save performance against YJ Kidd/Carannante.
The LILJ thanks the teams that participated in the first ever Fall Exposure League and look forward to growing the league in the future to get even more teams involved!
Thanks, this was a fun experience for our team. Hannah and team mates learned a lot!