Thursday, October 1, 2026
Clinging to a one-goal lead with less than a minute remaining in regulation time of the Long Island Class A girls’ soccer championship game Wednesday afternoon, Sayville needed every inch of goalkeeper Julia Madsen’s fingertips to hold off Seaford and make program history.
A leaping Madsen got just enough of Kendall Tricoli’s high shot from the top of the box to deflect it off the crossbar with 32 seconds left and gathered the rebound to secure the Golden Flashes’ first-ever L.I. title, 2-1, at Harborfields High School.
“It’s a really emotional win I’ve coached these seniors since they were in preschool,” Sayville coach John Burke said. “It’s been a goal of ours for a really long time and means so much to all of us and the community.”
Coming off its third Suffolk County title since 2010, a wild 3-2 win over Bayport-Blue Point days earlier, Sayville built a two-goal lead over Seaford but the Vikings never surrendered. Giuliana Viggiano scored with 6:07 remaining, making for an intense finish.
“Game of inches,” Seaford coach Ken Botti said. “I had no doubts our girls would fight right down to the last second. Super proud of them and their effort. We had opportunities and unfortunately the ball didn’t go in. We were that close to getting it to overtime.
“We had 12 seniors, by far the most I’ve ever had,” Botti added. “Their county champs and going to be missed. It’s going to be tough to turn the page but we have some great young talent returning.”
One of Seaford’s young standouts, freshman goalkeeper Caden Calderaro, along with her counterpart, Madsen, an eighth-grader, battled windy conditions on a championship stage and impressed. Madsen made 9 stops and Calderaro 7.
Burke said Madsen and junior Molly Moynihan did a phenomenal job splitting keeper duties throughout the season until an injury suffered by the latter moved Madsen into the full-time role just prior to playoffs. The Golden Flashes (6-3-1) ripped off four straight one-goal victories to make history.
Sayville struck first against Seaford in the 26th minute with the wind at its back. Eighth-grader Makayla Farinhas sent a crossing pass to senior Morgan Farrell, who slid a left-footed roller off the far post for a 1-0 lead.
It stayed that way well into the second half as both defenses stood tall in front of their young keepers. Sayville’s back four of Alexa Yacono, Kensie Cifuentes, Kyla Kastner and Erin Burke, and Seaford’s defense led by Riley Stovall, Mia Leggio, Kiera Lukas and Linda Donovan proved formidable.
The Golden Flashes got the insurance goal they’d desperately need in the 61st minute on a picture-perfect connection between junior Maiya Troll and senior Sophia Buffardi. Troll sent a corner kick into the box and Buffardi rose from a pack of players to send a header home for a 2-0 cushion.
The Vikings finished 12-1-5 and had a long list of individual honors, starting with senior Kaylie Conklin, the goal scorer in the Nassau Class A championship win over Plainedge who earned All-County and Conference A-I Player of the Year. Leggio and fellow senior Ally Cullingford were also All-County.
