Cathryn Evans' goal gives Oceanside girls soccer its first Long Island championship
Oceanside's Cathryn Evans, right, kicks in the winning goal in overtime in the Long Island Class AAA girls soccer championship game between Northport and Oceanside at Walt Whitman High School on Saturday. Credit: Steven Zaitz
As the ball hit the back of the net, Oceanside’s sideline emptied. Five minutes into overtime, senior Cathryn Evans had just delivered the Sailors their biggest moment yet, earning the program’s first Long Island Class AAA championship.
After more than 80 minutes of scoreless soccer, her goal sealed a 1-0 win over Northport on Saturday morning at Whitman High School.
“We all wanted this so badly, I wanted it so badly,” Evans said. “We knew we had to just keep shooting, so when I got the ball, I turned around and shot it. I haven’t scored many goals this season, so to have a moment like this in my senior season, it feels like I’m dreaming.”
It was the breakthrough Oceanside had been searching for in a tense, hard-fought battle from the opening whistle in the Southeast Regional Final.
“We knew it was going to be a battle between two evenly matched, motivated teams who want to play the game the way it’s supposed to be played,” Oceanside coach Danielle Chiera said. “But [Evans] really made sure to put herself in the right spot and turn and shoot, and what a special moment that is for her.”
For Oceanside, the victory meant more than a title — it ended a two-decade drought for the school. The Sailors hadn’t brought home a Long Island championship plaque in any sport since 2004.
“This is a very special team and they have this contagious energy of wanting to win,” Chiera said. “Last year, we came into the Long Island championship just happy to be there. But this year, we’re not only happy to be here, but we’re here to take it.”
“Last year, we won the county championship, and it was so big for us — we didn’t know it could get any better than that,” Evans said. “Once we felt that feeling of winning, we kind of got a new perspective on how far we really could go. We knew that a county wasn’t enough, and we needed to get a Long Island win.”
Oceanside (10-4-3) plays the winner of Section I’s North Rockland and Section III’s Cicero-North Syracuse at 5 p.m. on Saturday at Dryden High School in the state Class AAA semifinals.
“This feels surreal,” Evans said. “I honestly never thought this would happen in my years of high school. We’ve just wanted it more and more each year, and now, we need to continue to go further.”
Oceanside goalkeeper Ella Murray anchored the defense with nine saves, including a diving stop on a one-on-one against Northport standout Ava DeMarco that kept the game scoreless late in regulation.
“Our defense did amazing, I give them a lot of credit,” Evans said. “And Ella has come up huge for us this playoff run, making some insane saves.”
Northport goalkeeper KK Howard made seven saves for the Tigers, who finished the season 17-1-2.
The Sailors now turn their focus to the state semifinals, carrying the confidence and momentum from winning their second consecutive county title and their first-ever Long Island championship.
“You set goals at the beginning of the season, and obviously, getting to the state championship is a lofty goal to have,” Chiera said. “So the fact that we’re going there, it’s still settling in. We’re going to take the experiences that we’ve used against some of the best teams on Long Island, and show Upstate what we’re really about.”
