Thursday, October 1, 2026
With Nassau County girls’ soccer switching back to conferences based on ability within enrollment, Hewlett finds itself lumped with six new rivals following a 6-5-1 campaign that included a Class A playoff appearance.
“None of the six teams we’re playing were in our conference last year,” Lady Bulldogs coach Gil Kreiss said. “We’ve scrimmaged Roslyn the past two seasons and tied each time. We haven’t faced anyone else. I think we fit in the top three somewhere, but it’ll be very interesting.”
Hewlett, which returns the majority of its starters but must fill some key areas, is part of Conference A-IV and will face Roslyn, Lynbrook, Jericho, Mineola, Valley Stream North and Valley Stream South twice apiece. “We lost our starting center-midfielder, a top defender and marking back, and it’s just a matter of figuring out where all the pieces are going to fit,” Kreiss said. “We’ll see how quickly we can jell.”
Kreiss said he has a least three players with experience at center-midfield and capable of thriving in the crucial position. Junior Val DeNapoli brings outstanding athleticism, junior Cori Horberman is an excellent distributor, and junior Jess Seigal, who scored a huge playoff goal against Garden City two years ago, has good field vision and endurance.
Seigal could also play outside midfield with senior Rachel Madigan, who has speed and is stepping into a larger role after starting a few games a year ago, and eighth-grader Sydney Corda, who impressed the coaching staff from the opening day of practice.
Leading the offense up front is sophomore Gabby Schwartz, who more often than not will create a matchup advantage for Hewlett. “She was among our leading scorers last year and someone other teams will focus on,” Kreiss said. “She has size, speed and toughness. She may get knocked down from time to time, but she keeps going.”
Sophomore Emily Cohen is a candidate to start at forward or midfield after earning lots of playing time in 2010. She has tremendous soccer instincts, Kreiss said, and continues to bolster a solid skill set.
