Grace Esposito scores the winner in double OT to deliver Carle Place its 13th straight field hockey county title
Carle Place defeats Locust Valley to win the Nassau Class C field hockey championship. on Nov. 02, 2025 in Garden City. Credit: Kelvin Loarca
The Carle Place field hockey team wasn’t only playing for a Nassau Class C title on Sunday. It was playing to preserve a legacy.
The top-seeded Frogs defeated second-seeded Locust Valley, 1-0, in double overtime at Adelphi as Carle Place won its 13th straight county championship. And it was the senior captain there to secure another crown.
With 3:11 left in the second overtime period, Grace Esposito found herself with time and room on the right side of the cage. She picked a corner, scored bottom left, and started the celebration.
“I’ve played this sport for the past 10 years of my life,” Esposito said. “I dream of this moment every night. I’ve always wanted this and I’m just so happy I was able to finish when it mattered most.”
Carle Place (11-4) plays the winner of No. 2 Pierson/No. 1 Bayport-Blue Point at 2 p.m. on Sunday at Sachem East High School in the Long Island Class C championship/Southeast Regional Final.
Despite the loss, Locust Valley advances to the regional final of the state Class C tournament with an at-large bid. Locust Valley (7-9) plays host Whitney Point at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
Esposito was also the first to test Locust Valley goalkeeper Elizabeth Madden early in the game. Five minutes into the second quarter, Esposito broke down the right side of the field and sent the ball toward the circle, but it rolled just wide of the cage before another Frog could get a touch.
Carle Place earned eight penalty corners throughout regulation, but could not manage to capitalize on the scoring opportunities. In the third quarter, Emi Coronel and eighth-grader Madison Pellegrino each recorded shots off penalty corners, but Madden was stubborn in the net. Madden finished with 12 saves.
Locust Valley came out aggressive to begin overtime. Carle Place goalkeeper Megan Rice only needed to make two saves, but one came in overtime off a corner.
“I really trust my defense,” Rice said. “There’s a lot of pressure in overtime corners, but my defense knows what they’re doing. We go out hard no matter the situation.”
“This is just incredible,” said coach Elissa Frein, a Carle Place graduate in her fourth year as head coach. “This is such a special program and such an amazing thing to be a part of. I couldn’t ask for anything better in the world.”
Carle Place has won the Long Island Class C championship in eight of the last nine years, but is chasing its first state title since 1990.
"Every year we’re playing for a state championship and this is a really important step of the journey," Esposito said. "We all want this more than anyone so I’m so glad we were able to finish today."
