As we now jump into the 10 remaining teams in our top 20 ahead of next week’s season openers, we get to No. 10 in our rankings the Rocky Point Eagles. This Suffolk Class C contender will be a serious threat to appear in the LIC in what is the deepest conference on the island. Last year they made a push to the semifinals where they were defeated by Bayport Blue Point, but come back after gaining that playoff experience under their belt. For Head Coach Mike Sanchez and his team the goal is simple. It’s to be playing in the last game of the season.
The team returns all but four players from last season which means that they will be able to maintain the chemistry and continuity between their returning players. Looking at their attack, they will get plenty of production from the trio of McKenzie Moeller, Grace Curtin and Sydney Woods. Moeller the Wofford commit is a tough cover as a lefty that knows how to get to her spots and is a great at finishing the run. In 2022 Moeller led the team in both goals and assists with 32 and 23 for 55 points. Curtin the Florida Southern bound senior found the back of the net 21 times a year ago which was tied for the third most goals on the team. Woods was only a sophomore last season and saw plenty of time, contributing with 14 points, scoring 10 times along with four assists.
Rocky Point has some very talented midfielders that will be a driving force this season. Senior MaryKate Abernethy the future Stony Brook Seawolf brings multiple assets to the table whether it’s speed, IQ or dodging to score. Last year she ended the season with 19 goals and nine assists. The talent in their midfield continues with sophomore Kylie Lamoureux who is one of the island’s special talents in the class of 2025. A dominant freshman season saw her impact the game on both sides of the ball whether it was as a scorer, taking the draws or wreaking havoc in the caused turnover department. Lamoureux is in for an outstanding sophomore season. Also in the 2025 class is Fiona Vu who saw plenty of action in the winter league where she made impactful plays both on offense and defense. Anna Wood, the junior USF commit is one that is often seen doing the dirty work, hunting down ground balls and creating deflections.
Transitioning to the defense, one of their lockdown defenders that is a caused turnover machine is sophomore Violet Freebody who had over 40 caused turnovers in the 2022 season. The Eagles also get the return of senior Olivia Van Dyke the Mercy commit to a defense that will be playing in front of goalies Alexa Kuhn (UMass Lowell) and Breezy Henke. Kuhn the senior comes in as the starter with Henke playing behind her and last year the combination of the two allowed only six goals per game.
With a graduating 2022 class the included Victoria Curreri, Lindsay Lucia, Sophia Wood, and Mia Negus, an opportunity may arise for some of their younger players in the system to potentially see the field this year. Kaleigh Moeller, the younger sister of McKenzie turned heads this winter as a freshman going against other premier varsity teams. Moeller excelled on the draw, winning many of them to herself, and didn’t shy away from going to the cage where she scored eight times to lead the team. In addition to Moeller, freshmen Megan Curtin and Lillian Wood each saw playing time this winter and may have an opportunity to see minutes this season according to coach Sanchez.
The quest to be the last team standing begins with their first official game on March 22nd against Class A Bay Shore. Many of the opponents in Class C that Rocky Point will be competing with for positioning in the playoffs include Mt. Sinai (4/4), Bayport Blue Point (4/15), Shoreham Wading River (4/19), Sayville (5/3), and Westhampton (5/11).
