A longtime fixture in the Suffolk County field hockey playoffs, East Islip needed only 10 games to punch its ticket to this year’s Class B tournament and will look to secure one of the top four seeds and a first-round matchup at home.

A 2-0 victory over Shoreham-Wading River Oct. 7 clinched East Islip’s 28th playoff berth in coach Chris Veit’s 30 years at the helm. Junior Emily Mooney’s first-quarter goal held up as the winner, and senior Carly Amato provided the insurance in the second off a feed from sophomore Aubree Jones.

“We pride ourselves in making everyone better every day and getting better as a team every day,” Veit said. “We checked off our first goal with this win. Both teams came in with identical 7-2 records and we did a great job of limiting Shoreham’s opportunities.”

Junior goalie Brooke McCally, a first-year varsity starter, recorded her sixth shutout of the season working behind a rock-solid defense led by senior Kylie Dickson and junior Julia Hartman, who rose to the occasion in her first starting assignment.

Dickson is the team’s defensive anchor who also takes offensive corners. “She’s a super consistent and smart player,” Veit said.

Amato, an all-county selection in 2024, has literally taken her game to another level, moving from a defensive midfielder to forward. Through 11 games, she led the team in goals with 11. She had the lone goal in a 1-0 victory over Pierson/Bridgehampton on Sept. 18, as well as the only tally that beat Comsewogue on Oct. 9. “She’s a special player we moved to left wing,” Veit said. “She’s a dominant dodger and aggressive to the goal.”

Veit’s system features a four-pronged attack up front. Mooney led East Islip in scoring a year ago and has picked up where she left off with eight goals. “She’s so strong with the ball on her stick and difficult to defend,” the coach noted.

Rising from the middle school to varsity field hasn’t phased Carli Caliguri, one of just a handful of freshmen to start on varsity during Veit’s tenure. Junior Hailey Kiernan, a key distributor, also contributes up front along with Jones.

Senior Heather Heffernan is the heart of the squad as the center-midfielder. “She does everything asked of her and goes up and down the entire field with a high motor,” said Veit, whose midfield includes senior Keira Block, junior Kiersten Klein and sophomore Theresa Codispoti.

Block served in a utility role last season but found a steady home as a right-side middie. Klein, the team’s unsung hero, Veit said, is especially busy on the left, the coach explained, with the competition attacking from the right. Codispoti filled Amato’s vacancy as a defensive middie and has chipped in a pair of goals. Sophomore Nora Mooney played “lights out” the entire game in the win over Shoreham, Veit said, and assisted on Amato’s goal that beat Pierson/Bridgehampton. Sophomore Stephanie Kolinowski has taken on the utility role and contributes wherever needed.

East Islip closes the regular season with four straight road games concluding on Oct. 22 at Rocky Point.