Massapequa girls soccer captures 17th county title in 20 years

There is a clear expectation within the Massapequa girls soccer program every season. To win. And not just win games but championships. This year’s group was no exception.

            “I love to continue the legacy and this is my favorite part of the year,” midfielder Dominique DiOrio said. “Going to school, it gets me through the day knowing that I have soccer later.”

            This year’s Massapequa team continued the program’s history of excellence with a 1-0 victory over No. 2 Syosset in the girls soccer Nassau Class AA final at Cold Spring Harbor High School Saturday afternoon. This was Massapequa’s 17th county title in the last 20 years.

            “Obviously there’s been a history at Massapequa of dominating and it’s great to have that on our backs,” midfielder Briana Neary said. “We want to do better over the years and keep that tradition going.”

            Massapequa, the top seed, improved to 16-1-2 and plays the Suffolk Class A champions in the Long Island Class AA championship/Southeast Regional Final at Berner Middle School Saturday at 4 p.m. Syosset finishes 11-4-1, with three of its losses coming to Massapequa.

“You have to protect the Massapequa name,” DiOrio said. “You have to work as hard as you can for it and that’s what we do every single game.”

Neary scored the game’s lone goal with 32:06 left in the second half on a strike from 25 yards out. She didn’t have much separation between the defender on the attempt, but she had just enough to deliver a title.

“I saw I had half a step of space so I thought, ‘Why not just rip it?’” Neary said. “I realized we needed to score. We felt like we were dominating the game but we had to finish our chances and I didn’t want this game to go into overtime or (penalty kicks).”  

Massapequa, the defending state Class AA champions, has won seven Long Island Class AA championships since 2013 and eight state titles in program history. That tradition is one the team takes very seriously.

“Especially after winning last year, we were all motivated and confident that were going to play our best,” defender Lena Fleischer said. “We are competing to make it back to states this year.”

“Winning is everything,” midfielder McKayla Schneidler added. “And this is what we are here for.”

Coach Bruce Stegner admitted he “never saw” winning 17 titles over 20 years coming for Massapequa. In a sport where one bad bounce could change an outcome and the constant roster turnover with high school sports, it’s no easy accomplishment. But Massapequa has built one of the strongest programs in the region. Massapequa graduated a strong core from last year’s state championship team, but this squad was determined to not let that falter the success.

“To start fresh basically with eight, nine new starters, we didn’t know what to expect but we’ve really started to jell,” Stegner said. “The sky is the limit so who knows where we are going to go from here.”

There is a clear expectation within the Massapequa girls soccer program every season. To win. And not just win games but championships. This year’s group was no exception.

            “I love to continue the legacy and this is my favorite part of the year,” midfielder Dominique DiOrio said. “Going to school, it gets me through the day knowing that I have soccer later.”

            This year’s Massapequa team continued the program’s history of excellence with a 1-0 victory over No. 2 Syosset in the girls soccer Nassau Class AA final at Cold Spring Harbor High School Saturday afternoon. This was Massapequa’s 17th county title in the last 20 years.

            “Obviously there’s been a history at Massapequa of dominating and it’s great to have that on our backs,” midfielder Briana Neary said. “We want to do better over the years and keep that tradition going.”

            Massapequa, the top seed, improved to 16-1-2 and plays the Suffolk Class A champions in the Long Island Class AA championship/Southeast Regional Final at Berner Middle School Saturday at 4 p.m. Syosset finishes 11-4-1, with three of its losses coming to Massapequa.

“You have to protect the Massapequa name,” DiOrio said. “You have to work as hard as you can for it and that’s what we do every single game.”

Neary scored the game’s lone goal with 32:06 left in the second half on a strike from 25 yards out. She didn’t have much separation between the defender on the attempt, but she had just enough to deliver a title.

“I saw I had half a step of space so I thought, ‘Why not just rip it?’” Neary said. “I realized we needed to score. We felt like we were dominating the game but we had to finish our chances and I didn’t want this game to go into overtime or (penalty kicks).”  

Massapequa, the defending state Class AA champions, has won seven Long Island Class AA championships since 2013 and eight state titles in program history. That tradition is one the team takes very seriously.

“Especially after winning last year, we were all motivated and confident that were going to play our best,” defender Lena Fleischer said. “We are competing to make it back to states this year.”

“Winning is everything,” midfielder McKayla Schneidler added. “And this is what we are here for.”

Coach Bruce Stegner admitted he “never saw” winning 17 titles over 20 years coming for Massapequa. In a sport where one bad bounce could change an outcome and the constant roster turnover with high school sports, it’s no easy accomplishment. But Massapequa has built one of the strongest programs in the region. Massapequa graduated a strong core from last year’s state championship team, but this squad was determined to not let that falter the success.

“To start fresh basically with eight, nine new starters, we didn’t know what to expect but we’ve really started to jell,” Stegner said. “The sky is the limit so who knows where we are going to go from here.”