Ward Melville girls soccer stays on a roll, finishes regular season undefeated with win over Whitman

The majority of players on the Ward Melville girls soccer team don’t know the feeling of walking off a varsity field with a loss. Maddie Costello isn’t one of those players. And she remembers everything from that contest.

Costello was rushing to the field after her church confirmation. She quickly changed into uniform and ran onto the field before a playoff game. She remembers it being cloudy, dark and rainy, seemingly a sign of things to come.

“I remember the nerves and almost the shakiness of everyone not knowing what was happening,” Costello said. “It was almost like the calm before the storm. The first half was the calm and the second half was when everything blew up. And then the terrible feeling afterward.”

Ward Melville lost 3-2 to Smithtown West in the Suffolk Class AA semifinals on October 30, 2021 after having a 2-0 halftime lead.

It’s been 1,089 days since that contest and Costello and Ward Melville haven’t experienced that terrible feeling since.

After a 6-0 victory over Whitman on Tuesday, the Patriots have the longest streak of games without a loss (57) for a public school in Long Island girls soccer history, according to Newsday records. Sadie Pitrelli scored five goals and Keira Hunt had the other. 

Ward Melville finished the regular season at 14-0-1 with Tuesday's victory. The Patriots have gone 50-0-7 since the start of the 2022 season and won two state championships. South Side had the previous record of 56 games from 1999-2002, going 52-0-4 before a loss in the state Class A final.

“It’s actually absurd to think it’s been almost three years,” said Costello, who is committed to play at Clemson. “That’s crazy. I could have never imagined this.”

“I think this is a pretty nice honor that we’ve been able to stay undefeated this many games in a row considering how crazy soccer can be,” coach John Diehl said. “Anything can happen. But they’ve been so consistent.”

Senior goalkeeper Kate Ronzoni has been on varsity since the eighth grade and remembers being in awe of all the talent at an early age.

“Right as I got onto the field as an eighth grader, I knew we were going to do some amazing things,” Ronzoni said. “And now standing here as a 12th grader is a full circle moment that what I expected in eighth grade is now happening in 12th grade.”

Ward Melville is seeking its third straight state championship this season. If the Patriots achieve that, it would mean a third straight undefeated season.

“It’s always something in the back of our heads, but we would like to focus more on what we’ve done to get here,” Ronzoni said. “But of course, if we do it again, that would be amazing.”