Field hockey rises in Long Beach

In its third year of existence after starting as a club in the spring of 2021, Long Beach field hockey is on the rise.
The Marines, in only their second season competing at Nassau County’s varsity level, collected three victories including a 2-0 win in the Oct. 19 finale at Great Neck South. Senior Isabel Cardo and junior Kaylie McCabe scored while goaltenders Lucy Nash and Brianna Amey combined for the shutout.
“It’s exciting to see how much our team improved over the years,” said Cardo, a member of the program since Day One. “It was a big adjustment going from playing JV to varsity and we didn’t win any games last year. But we were more competitive this year and it was a great feeling for everyone to get some wins,” she added.
Christine Graham has coached the team since birth. “We had a group of kids who graduated in 2020 that planted the seed to get the program going and it’s really catching on,” she said. “Last year we had a roster of 15 and this year it grew to 22.”
The Marines played a JV schedule in the fall of 2021 and made the jump to varsity last fall. Despite not getting into the win column, Graham said the improvement was clear.

“Last season was rough in terms of our record, but I could see the advancement in our play in both game knowledge and skill set,” Graham said. “Getting that first win this year was a giant relief. It was pure joy because the girls worked so hard for so long.”
The historic victory came Sept. 20 and it didn’t come easy. Long Beach needed double overtime to defeat Great Neck South in a shootout, 3-2. Cardo, Delaney Kaplan and Maria Guzman-Amaya scored.
“It was pretty much an even game the whole way,” Graham explained. “We play 10 minutes of overtime and then it goes to a shootout. We executed so well and scored on three of our four shootout chances.”
Following losses to Great Neck North and Sewanhaka, the Marines (3-9) were back in the win column again Oct. 2 as they avenged the Great Neck North setback with another shootout victory. Nash made 12 saves; Cardo and freshmen Kaplan and Jordan Soriano notched goals.
Graham said filling Cardo’s shoes in the midfield and as a leader will be difficult. “She raised the bar of everyone else,” the coach said.
The defense in front of Nash, a sophomore, and Amey, a freshman, was led by juniors Guzman-Amaya, Hailey Pilch and Ariana Jara. “Our defense was solid all year and those three girls played all the time,” said Graham, who is optimistic Long Beach can compete at both the JV and varsity levels in 2024.
“The interest has grown so much and field hockey is becoming a thing in Long Beach,” Cardo said. “There are girls at the elementary school level playing now in a junior league and that’s great to see.”