East Islip riding shutout win streak

East Islip field hockey is on a heater, and coach Chris Veit is looking for its current hot streak to continue for the duration of the regular season and into the Suffolk Class B playoffs.

Veit’s squad earned a fourth-consecutive shutout victory last Saturday, 4-0 over Southampton, in a Division II matchup, to improve to 8-4. Emily Mooney, Aubree Jones, Caitlin Bushing and Maya Brown found the back of the cage and goalie Emily Saccone made two saves for the shutout. For Brown, it was her first goal in a varsity uniform.

“The first half of our schedule was difficult,” Veit said. “We played a lot of the heavy hitters early in a short period of time. We’re starting to get on a roll and if we can win our last four games, we’ll be the No. 4 seed. If not, we’ll be No. 5.”

There was no concern of a letdown two days after East Islip pulled off a 1-0 win over defending county and Long Island Class C champion Bayport-Blue Point on Oct. 1. The lone goal came with 1:20 remaining in regulation time off a corner with Kiersten Klein, one of its three senior captains, converting a pass from Theresa Codispoti.

“Bayport’s an excellent team that we held to no corners and just one shot on goal, and that came in the last minute soon after we scored,” Veit said. “We played such a strong game and I kept telling the girls I thought it was only a matter of time before we broke through.”

Goalie Brooke McCally shut out the Phantoms behind a defense anchored by Julia Hartman. “Julia makes the right play all the time,” Veit said. Emily Coakley helped keep Bayport’s threats to a minimum, and Stephanie Kolinowski is another integral part of the defense.

East Islip’s other huge win came on Sept. 18 over Sayville, 2-1, in a triple shootout. Jones scored in regulation and Madison Kearney had the shootout winner. McCally, a senior captain, played every minute of regulation and overtime before Saccone, a sophomore, stepped in to make 10 saves during the shootout. The Golden Flashes forced OT with a goal off the stick of Joella Besosa with 22 seconds left in regulation.

“We have great rivalries with our South Shore friends,” Veit said of Bayport and Sayville. “Always great games against well-coached and talented teams.”

Mooney, an All-County selection in 2025 and East Islip’s leading scorer, has seven goals and five assists in 12 games. “She’s a skilled dodger who’s always a threat,” Veit said of the captain.

Jones and Hailey Kiernan are forwards on the left side and have been “super consistent,” the coach said.

Klein also plays on the left side, in the midfield, where she disrupts opposing offenses. “She’s very tough to get by,” Veit said. Also in the midfield, Codispoti, a standout lacrosse goalie, has moved from a defensive spot to offensive and keeps getting better every game, Veit explained.

The race for the county title appears wide open. “A bunch of teams are capable of winning it and that’s our goal,” Veit said.