Girls’ field hockey launched Bonac into its fall season. The team was the first varsity squad to host a home game during the 2026-27 school year, welcoming Southampton to the turf field at Stephen Hand’s Path on Sept. 2.
“They have a really good vibe. Great teamwork. They’re learning to play with each other” said Danielle Schuster, East Hampton’s head coach. “We lost 13 seniors last year, so a lot of shaking up. We have a lot of younger players. We have quite a few sophomores and a freshman. It’s a new season and they’re still learning to trust each other.”
The sophomores stole the show in the home opener, handling all of East Hampton’s scoring. But Schuster was pleased with the team’s all-around effort.
“They did a lot of things nicely. They went to the ball, but they have to work on not stick-obstructing so much. That kind of got in their way.”
East Hampton got out to an early lead, up 1-0 at halftime thanks to a first-quarter goal from Kiana Dias, a sophomore midfielder. Merritt Bistrian-Emptage, another sophomore who plays midfield and forward, assisted on the goal.
Southampton responded with two goals in the third quarter, from Caitlin Zorko and Carlie Kreymborg, to take a 2-1 lead into the fourth. Kreymborg added another goal with 7:23 left in the fourth quarter to put the Mariners up by 2.
The Bonackers weren’t finished just yet. Ashlyn O’Donnell, a sophomore forward, scored with 2:37 left in the game to bring East Hampton within 1. Bistrian-Emptage assisted on the goal, but the girls were gassed and couldn’t put another point on the board before time ran out. They lost by a final score of 3-2. Coach Schuster believes a little more pre-season conditioning would have helped their stamina.
“My theory is they should come to the season in shape. So we start sending workouts to them in February, and right about now they realize they should have taken us seriously,” she said. “We don’t believe in running them in practice, but this year we did. You run six to eight miles a game if you play the whole game. You’ve got to be in shape.”
While they’ll work on sustaining those efforts, the Bonackers already have a lot going for them.
“They have great game sense and great field positioning. We’re trying a lot of things and seeing what sticks. They played a lot of different positions. We asked a lot of them,” Schuster said. “But there were lots of positive things, and really great vibes, teamwork, and camaraderie. I think they’re going to build on it. They’re young, and there are going to be a few growing pains, but that’s where we’re at.”
