No. 5 Ranked Bayport Blue Point Phantoms Team Preview

Now making our way to the top 5 in the LILJ top 25 preseason rankings, it’s the Phantoms of Bayport Blue Point coming in at number 5. In Suffolk Class C the Phantoms enter the new season after winning 16 games and appearing in the county finals last year where they were narrowly defeated by Sayville. Coached by Ryan Gick this team has developed a history of making deep playoff runs, having made at least the county championship every year since 2021. They see the return of many of their starters from last season and will very much be in the mix for the county title, LIC and a chance to head up to Cortland for states. This winter the they took part in the LILJ High School Winter League in preparation for the season.

Offensively the team sees the return of their All-American senior midfielders Aubrie Eisfeld (Clemson) and Ava Meyn (Maryland). Last season Eifeld found the back of the net 39 times with 9 assists for 48 points and Meyn scored 42 goals with 16 assists for 58 points. Both are two-way players and will also have a big impact on the draw circle. Also in the senior class they return Erika Kreuscher (Stony Brook) and Emma Shanahan (Quinnipiac) at attack along with junior Eva Carvalho (Albany). In the junior class at midfield is Kailey Bruckner (Towson) and Sara Richardt (Binghamton) who were impact players as sophomores each recording over 20 points. Adding to their supremely talented midfield is sophomore Olivia Brady, one of the island’s top 2027s and she excelled in year one on varsity recording over 20 points as a freshman. In the winter league for the Phantoms Brady was their fourth leading scorer with 12 goals and 3 assists for 15 points and 12 ground balls which was the second most on the team. One player also in the sophomore class to look out for is Liliana May who transferred back from St. Anthony’s and saw action in the winter league with the varsity team. The biggest absence from last year’s team is 2024 graduate Julia Fusco who had an All-American senior season and is now a current freshman at Stony Brook.

On the defensive side of the ball they are led by their Stanford bound senior Emma Brown and the defense also includes juniors Shannon Carney (Binghamton) Abby Bishop (Dickinson), Payton Weybrecht (Cortland) and Kayla Bongiorno (Winthrop). In the sophomore class is Aila Cahill who is one to watch this year after playing with the varsity team in the winter league. Cahill is strong both on and off ball and excels at clearing the ball up field. This year they’ll be looking to replace goalie Shannon Alden who was in the 2024 graduating class and on the roster this season is senior Sophia Diaz and sophomore Peyton D’Angelo. As a team their defense was one of the best on the island, allowing a shade over five goals per game.

The regular season opens up for Bayport with a non-league matchup against Garden City on March 27th, followed by their first league game on April 1st against East Islip.