The defending Class B Suffolk County Champion West Islip Lions come in at number 12 in the LILJ top 24 preseason rankings. The Lions, led by Head Coach Joe Nicolosi made their 2023 season one to remember with a remarkable turn around after having missed the playoffs the year before, and now the opportunity to defend their title begins. They did lose some key players as part of the 2023 graduating class, but have a young nucleus that has and will continue to be standouts on the island for the next three years.
Two of the island’s premier midfielders in the sophomore class are Ava Obloj and Francesca Tofano, who each came onto the scene in a big way in 2023. Both are not only exceptionally skilled players, but they didn’t shy away from the big stage, as Obloj was second on the team in total points last year with 67, followed by Tofano with 55, and they each stepped up in the biggest games of the season. The bulk of West Islip’s scoring came from this midfield duo and 2023 graduate Jaimey Elliot at attack. As they look to fill the void Elliot leaves behind, they will still be a team that can generate a lot of offense. Both Obloj and Tofano also have an impact on the game at the draw circle, between the 62 wins for Obloj and 44 from Tofano along with an astounding 36 caused turnovers last year. The midfield also sees the return senior Elon commit Carley Sgueglia who brings a little bit of everything to the table as she recorded 26 points while also making impactful plays on the defensive side of the field with 28 ground balls. At attack lookout for sophomore Mia Nicolosi to potentially have a breakout season after scoring nine goals last year as a freshman.
Defensively they have a stellar defender in junior Towson commit Courtney Xippolitos as part of their starting defense as well as senior LIU commit Kaelynn Sirizzotti, and the net will be anchored by junior Makenna Gagliardi who’s committed to Penn State. This season will be Gagliardi’s first season as the full-time starter after sharing the position with 2023 graduate Avery Lanzarotta. Last season Gagliardi compiled 71 saves and the defense as a whole allowed a shade over seven goals per game.
With the talent that West Islip has on their roster both this season and over the next few years, they have a window that will keep this team in contention for championships to what is already one of Long Island’s storied programs.
