Getting to number 15 in the LILJ Top 24 preseason rankings, it’s the Wildcats of Shoreham Wading River. One of the many competitive teams in Suffolk Class C, Shoreham went 10-6 during the regular season last year and won a playoff game against Rocky Point before being defeated by Bayport in the semifinals. Led by Head Coach Alex Fehmel who is now entering year three at the helm, this year’s team is once again in contention to make some noise and possibly have a chance for a deep playoff run, and this winter they utilized the offseason by taking part in the LILJ HSWL.
The Wildcats come into the season with plenty of continuity with their team, as they return the majority of their players that played a role in last season’s run. Beginning with their attack, they will see plenty of production from a trio of juniors between Reese Marcario (Pitt), Grayce Kitchen (Louisville), and Charlotte Erb (Coastal Carolina). Marcario did most of her damage as a facilitator last year, dishing out 26 assists along with nine goals for 35 points. Kitchen found the back of the net 28 times last season, and this winter was their leader in points with 13 over six games. The Coastal Carolina commit Erb tallied 23 goals last spring and had 11 points through the winter league. Adding to their attack in the sophomore class is lefty Anabel Keegan, coming off an injury but as a freshman in 2023 saw plenty of playing time and had 18 points on the season. The attackers on the roster also includes seniors Sophia Minnion (New Haven) and Sydney Serio (Frostburg).
The first midfield unit for Shoreham contains youthful underclassmen that have already showed that they will be a big part of the program for multiple years. Starting with their freshman Maddy Herr, as a starter last season in the eighth grade she scored 20 goals with five assists for 25 points, and brings tremendous speed to the table with her ability to carry the ball up the field in a blink In the class of 2026 Kady Keegan recorded 10 points last year with six goals and four assists and will surely have an elevated impact this season. Among their key upperclassmen midfielders are Morgan Lesiewicz (Lehigh), Madison Pieloch (St. Bonaventure), Haylie Abrams (Colorado), Juliana Mahan (Manhattan), and Abby Metz (Anderson). This year the big absence from their midfield is current UNC freshman GraceAnn Leonard who was the team leader in points last season.
Defensively the Wildcats return key defenders in senior Molloy commit Tiana Barone (Molloy), and senior Saint Leo commit Alexandra Ruggero as well as sophomore Leslie Jablonski. The goaltending looks like it will be a young gun in the net with freshman Sophia Giancreco who saw plenty of reps this winter and tallied 37 saves with a 44% save percentage in six games.
The Wildcats will be pushing this season for their third straight playoff appearance as they battle a number of upper echelon teams in Class C.
