The final chapter has arrived for one of Rockville Centre’s most accomplished youth soccer programs.
The Rockville Centre Red Storm Under-18 girls’ team closed out a remarkable run together with its first New York State Cup championship, capping years of success built on continuity, chemistry and sustained excellence across both club and high school competition.
That final moment of glory came May 30, when the Red Storm defeated East Islip 10-1 in the Girls Under-18/19 New York State Cup championship game at the Blue Sky Sports Complex in Middletown. The victory earned Rockville Centre the Barbara Rodriguez Cup, the trophy awarded to the State Cup champion in that division. After advancing with a 7-0 semifinal victory over Brooklyn United, the championship performance served as the culmination of a dominant stretch for a group long regarded as one of New York’s premier youth teams.
The Red Storm delivered a balanced attacking performance in the final, with Makaela Brennan and Maeve Martin each scoring twice. Sofia Anisansel, Molly Barry, Ella Faranda, Julie Faranda, Anne Schiller and Ryann Zydor also scored.
“Our experience in playing at a high level for years made a difference in the game,” Co-coach Ciaran Barry said. “They’ve been together a long time, and it all came together at the right moment.”
The Red Storm will not make the trip to next week’s U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships in Murfreesboro, Tenn., as originally anticipated. Roster limitations created by the players taking summer jobs while preparing for college ultimately brought the team’s journey to an end on a championship high note.
“At the end of the day, I get it,” Barry said. “These girls have done so much for so long. You don’t want to just go; you want to do it together. We’ve done everything together and we’ll continue to do it together, so instead of being disappointed, we’ll just appreciate what we have.”
For Co-coach Janet Gruner, the ending was less about missing the nationals than appreciating nearly a decade spent watching the same group grow together.
“It’s definitely bittersweet,” she said. “It’s been a great run. It’s been a great team. They accomplished so much working together, and it’s really nice to see it come to an end in a positive way.”
Many of the players had been teammates since kindergarten, remaining together through years of club soccer while balancing school, other sports and high school competition. About 10 members of the Red Storm also helped South Side High School capture the Nassau County Class AA championship last fall, giving many of the seniors the opportunity to finish both their high school and club careers as champions.
“It was just the culmination of a lot of our work over the last few years together,” Barry said. “A lot of these kids have been together since kindergarten. They’ve been a dominant team for years in the state and have played in national tournaments, earning that recognition. It was a nice culmination for them to win the state championship.”
The club’s success was built on balance at both ends of the field. Abigail Gruner emerged as one of the top goalkeepers in the state, while Ryan Zydor, Molly Barry, Maddie Woo, Mikayla Brennan and Julie Baldacchino formed a cohesive back line whose communication and chemistry developed over years of playing together.
The Red Storm also established itself as one of the premier teams in the region beyond the state level, finishing undefeated in the National League’s North Atlantic Conference at 6-0-1. Its players scored 35 goals while allowing just eight for a plus-27 goal differential and finished the season ranked No. 1 in New York and No. 12 nationally, according to GotSport.
For Abigail Gruner, the championship represented the perfect ending to a journey shared with lifelong teammates.
“Senior year is kind of full of lasts,” she said. “To close it out in such an amazing way after growing with them and watching everyone grow around me for so many years was really awesome. I’m really lucky to have been able to do it with this team.”
She added that the bond extended well beyond soccer.
“We’ve really seen each other through every stage of life,” Gruner said. “We’ve grown up together both on and off the field. These are the girls you’re seeing at school and growing up with. I think that really made us closer, and it showed on the field.”
Janet Gruner said she hoped the players would carry more than championships with them as they begin the next chapter.
“They’ve sort of been the underdogs for a lot of years,” she said. “I think they’ve learned a lot about hard work and grit and determination, and how important truly connecting as a team can be. They couldn’t have really asked for a better youth soccer experience.”
As the Red Storm’s story comes to a close, the next chapter for the Rockville Centre Soccer Club is already underway.
The Red Devils Under-12 girls’ team also captured the Girls Under-12 New York State Cup championship that same weekend, defeating Glen Cove 2-0 in Middletown behind goals from Felicity Brown and Kiera Endy, while goalkeeper Risa Maccione recorded the shutout. The victory earned Rockville Centre the Joanne Roth Cup, the trophy awarded to the Girls Under-12 State Cup champion.
