Now up to number six in the LILJ top 24 preseason rankings, it’s the Cold Spring Harbor Seahawks of Nassau Class D. This program has been the team to beat on the island in Class D, winning the Long Island Championship the last three seasons. Last year they made the trip to Cortland but were defeated in the state semifinals by a goal against Skaneateles after a rally that came up just short. This year the mission remains the same which is to get back to Cortland and finish the job with a state championship. Leading the charge in her 18th season is Head Coach Danielle Castellane who shared her thoughts on her team going into the season.
“Returning a strong junior class, graduated only two. Every year the goal is the same- get back to cortland. This year to finish!! Last year people blaimed our youth which should no longer be an excuse. We have the experience and return a squad that can get us back there.”
At attack the Seahawks return a duo that will account for a ton of offense this season between senior Drexel commit Amelia Bentley and junior Kelly Callaghan as the tandem combined for 114 points in 2023. Both Bentley and Callaghan were equally dangerous as both scorers and facilitators between the 31 and 29 from Bentley and 26 and 28 from Callaghan. The big absence this season is Hannah Van Son who was part of the 2023 graduating class, but with this returning tandem the attack will still be extremely productive.
The Seahawks midfield is powered by junior Maryland commit Ryan Reynolds who broke out in a big way last season as their leading scorer from the midfield with 43 goals and six assists for a total of 49 points. In addition to being a big time goal scorer, Reynolds will be a huge factor on the draw circle, and plays both ends of the field, between clears, ground balls and takeaways. Also adding to their midfield core is junior Maggie Spehr who added to the offense with 29 goals and 11 assists last year as well as junior Ruby Spielberger after scoring 22 goals in 2023.
Defensively for Cold Spring Harbor it begins with their All-American goalie Maya Soskin the junior committed to Florida. Soskin the otherworldly goaltender comes off a 128 save season with a save percentage north of 50%. Soskin’s uncanny ability to make the tough saves look routine and change the momentum of games gives Cold Spring Harbor an opportunity to win virtually every game. Two of their key returning defenders playing in front of Soskin is senior Rochester commit Jenna Kesler and junior Rachel Louie as part of a defensive unit that only allowed 6.5 goals per game.
The Seahawks will once again look to prove that they are the team to beat on the island in Class D, and hope that they’ll be making the trip back to Cortland with another shot at bringing home the New York State Championship.
