Top Sports Stories 2015: League champion girls soccer team

As the defending Class A county champions, the Shoreham-Wading River girls soccer team entered this season with an uncustomary bull’s-eye on its back.

With a talented core of returning players, including Megan Kelly, Alex Kuhnle and Lydia Kessel, the Wildcats were primed to take on the challenge. From September through late October, the Wildcats were one of the top teams in the county. The Wildcats won the League VI title by posting a 10-1-1 record. They won 11 games over the course of the season with a shutout. At one stretch, the Wildcats went five straight games without giving up a goal, winning those games by a combined score of 10-0.

The Wildcats opened the playoffs with a 3-0 win over Harborfields. Kuhnle, Nicky Constant and Rachel Suarez all scored in the second half for the Wildcats.

It set the stage for a semifinal matchup against John Glenn, the only team to defeat Shoreham in the regular season in League VI.

Playing on their home turf, the Wildcats dominated long stretches against the Knights, but ultimately couldn’t convert that solid play into a goal. With the game still scoreless with under 10 minutes to play, Glenn sophomore Stephanie Tsangaris scored on a header to put the Knights ahead 1-0. The goal stood up as the final margin, ending Shoreham’s season short of its goal of returning to the county finals.

In a season where they played so well, the Wildcats simply couldn’t get past Glenn, finishing 0-2-1 against the Knights.

Photo Caption: Shoreham-Wading River senior Haley Rose takes a shot on goal against Glenn. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk, file)

Previous 2015 Top Stories

SWR baseball reaches county finals

Riverhead relay team matches record