Thursday, October 1, 2026
Two teams that knew each other well, top-seeded Seaford and No. 3 Wheatley, faced off Oct. 27 for the Nassau Class B girls’ soccer title, and regulation time wasn’t enough to crown a champion.
Freshman Kaylie Conklin was the overtime hero for the Vikings. She scored 12:30 into extra time to give Seaford a 1-0 victory over its conference rival. It was the third meeting between the teams this fall.
Seaford took the first meeting on the road, 2-0, and their most-recent matchup on the Vikings’ home field ended in a scoreless draw. The story this time around at Plainedge High School was similar to that latest match with no goals being scored after 80 minutes.
“We were just keeping up a strong fight,” Conklin said. “Our team just keeps fighting everytime we go on the field. We never give up.”
Conklin’s county championship-winning goal was set up by Ryleigh Nocera, a fellow freshman who like Conklin finished top-three on the team in scoring during the regular season.
“I saw Ryleigh make her outside run and when she got the ball, I knew she’s one of the fastest players in the county, so I just tried to get in a position to receive the ball,” Conklin said. “I believe me and Ryleigh help impact each other during the game and create so many opportunities together.”
Those opportunities for the Vikings were prominent in the opening half as they managed four corner kicks, resulting in plenty of chances to score in regulation and feeling good about themselves early on.
“In the opening 20 minutes, we were real comfortable,” Seaford coach Ken Botti said. “From that early confidence, it just looked like we were settling in and we were playing a better game than we did on Monday [in the semifinals].”
The Vikings tacked on three more corner kicks in the second half for a total of seven, but had no goals to show for it.
“I knew the opportunities were going to come,” Botti said. “You got to do the best you can with these great opportunities.”
Despite not converting on the corners and being stopped on 13 previous shots, the message for Seaford remained the same in overtime as it did in regulation.
“We were not ready to have the season end,” Conklin said. “Every single person on the team contributes and we are so lucky to have each other.”
Seaford sophomore goalkeeper Joanna “JoJo” Bello did her part, making 11 saves in over 92 minutes of play where mental sharpness was a key factor to stay in the moment throughout the emotional contest.
“Our team keeps each other focused,” Bello said. “We are always calling out to each other and making sure we are organized and ready for the play.”
While Bello pitched a shutout, the defense around her was also a big reason why the Vikings were able to keep their opponent off the board for the entire match.
“We wouldn’t be where we are without such a strong back line,” Bello said. “Amanda Etinger, Arianna Garcia, and Amanda Williamson shut down many of the chances Wheatley had throughout the game.”
Now 13-1-1 overall, Seaford will look to add one more trophy to its collection when it plays Babylon this Saurday at Berner Middle School in Massapequa for the Long Island Class B championship and a trip upstate.
