The Riverhead Blue Waves girls varsity soccer team played to a double-overtime 1-1 tie in their season home-opener Thursday afternoon.
Newfield took the lead in the first half with a shot by Jessica Laskawski. With Riverhead trailing 1-0 for most of the game, senior forward Ashley Drozd tied it up on a free kick with 15 minutes left in regulation.
“Ashley took a free kick just like that against Rocky Point in our previous game,” Coach Hassan Olowu said. “During the Newfield game just before overtime, she wanted to figure out how to get a winner. She was not even worried about the two players that pretty much shadowed her the entire game,” Olowu said.
Goalie Carolyn Carrera had an outstanding game with 15 saves.
“Carolyn is concentrating the entire time,” the coach said. “She never takes a play off and is communicating with her defense at all times. She has the desire to win and the best attitude towards preparation. She is a competitor, and that is all a coach could ask for in a student athlete,” Olowu said.
“At first we were down, because of Newfield’s goal, but then Carolyn made us get it together and play hard. We didn’t give up,” senior defender Rachel Blank said. “Then when Ash scored, we gained a lot of confidence.”
“We got off to a rough start, but we really pulled ourselves together. I feel like we played with our hearts and left everything on the field, just like our coaches told us to do,” junior midfielder Emily Jehle said.
Coming off a tough season last year, the Lady Waves are hungry for a winning season.
With returning starters Carrera, Drozd, Blank, Jehle, senior Megan Weiss, senior Shelby Britt, freshman Sierra Roces and freshman Megan Brunner, the girls have an experienced group who have been playing together for quite a few seasons.
“I love this team,” Drozd said. “We don’t give up. We play hard till the end.”
The Waves (0-1-1) are in Hampton Bays (0-1-0) today for a 7 p.m. start under the lights.
RiverheadLOCAL photos by Peter Blasl
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