After enjoying a seven-game winning streak in September, Bayport-Blue Point girls soccer hit a little bump in the road facing some of the toughest competition on its schedule.
The gauntlet continued on Oct. 7 when one of its closest rivals, Islip, came to town for a rematch of last year’s Suffolk Class A semifinal. The Buccaneers were riding a four-game winning streak, the Phantoms a three-game winless streak.
Both trends were broken.
Senior Olivia Brady broke a scoreless tie with 37 seconds remaining in the first half and junior Kiera McCormack added an insurance goal with 11 minutes left in regulation as Bayport secured a 2-0 home victory in what was another spirited battle between two of the premier programs in Division 3. Senior Mia McCormack assisted on Brady’s goal following a perfect corner kick into the box by senior Aila Cahill.
“Mia and I have that connection and she foot-rolled that pass to me,” Brady said. “I knew there wasn’t much time left, so I turned and shot.
“Islip is one of our rivals,” she added. “They beat us on our field last year and we wanted to get them back. It’s definitely a big win. We knew we needed that extra push today.”
The teams split a pair of 1-0 decisions in 2025. The Buccaneers won the regular-season meeting Oct. 18 on a header by then-senior and leading scorer Abbie Diemegard and seven saves from then-senior Rylee Moran. But the Phantoms returned the favor when it mattered most, winning a thrilling playoff matchup 12 days later in double overtime on then-senior Connor Leahy’s goal off an assist from Kiera McCormack.
Senior Alex Kaler, one of Bayport’s returning stars, made 10 saves in that semifinal win over the No. 1 seed that sent the Phantoms to their first county final since 2011.
Kaler made five saves in this year’s showdown, and Cokinos didn’t rule out seeing Islip again later this month in the postseason. Kaler’s counterpart, Islip’s Tilly Ancipink, made 15 stops.
“We’re at our best when we are one-two touch on and off the ball quick,” Bayport coach Katina Cokinos said. “This was an important bounce-back win for us coming off a tough loss to Harborfields.”
Islip is now 8-2-1; Bayport is 8-4-1 after winning for the first time since Sept. 25.
The Buccaneers hadn’t lost since a 2-1 setback at Miller Place on Oct. 23. They boast two of Suffolk’s top scorers in senior Daniella Capolongo (14 goals) and junior Shea LaGiglia (seven goals, nine assists.)
Bayport’s defense held both off the scoresheet. Cahill led the way along with Keira McCormack and classmates Elizabeth Campasano and Jordana Byman.
“They locked it down,” Cokinos said.
Both Islip and Bayport will have their work cut out with Harborfields establishing itself as the favorite in Suffolk Class A. Harborfields defeated the Phantoms, 6-0, on Oct. 5, and will face the Buccaneers on the Oct. 19.
“Class A is deep every year,” Cokinos said. “We know we’ll be in the playoffs and we want to get the best seed that we can.” n
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