Youthful Bellport focused on development

After boasting a senior-dominant roster last season, Bellport’s girls soccer program is in a transition year with first-year head coach Chuck Maragioglio, who served as an assistant for the past four campaigns.

The Clippers finished 5-8-2 in 2025 and played their best soccer down the stretch, Maragioglio said.

“We got off to a little bit of a slow start with some tough one-goal losses,” he said. “We were very competitive. We didn’t return a lot of experience and we’re in a very tough league. The effort is always there, and these kids never stop working.”

Maragioglio is expecting goalkeeper stability to help the Clippers get their ship pointed in the right direction. Two integral field position players—Jocelyn Fitzgerald and Charlotte Barry—were both pressed into action between the posts through the first few weeks and played solidly, the coach noted.

Fitzgerald is a strong two-way midfielder who made a dozen saves on Sept. 11 against Half Hollow Hills West. Three days later, Barry, a starting defender, turned aside 19 shots against Smithtown East.

Bellport welcomed back sophomore goalie Cassie Comeau last Saturday and she made six saves in a loss at Deer Park. But having her in the lineup, Maragioglio said, makes the Clippers stronger in the field, with Fitzgerald and Barry at their preferred positions.

“Jocelyn has a speed element to her game that we need at midfield,” Maragioglio said of Fitzgerald. “Charlotte is a tenacious defender and we need that, too,” he added of Barry.

If Bellport is going to find the win column, more scoring opportunities will also be needed. Through the first eight games, they produced just three goals. The first goal of the year for the club came off the foot of senior Caitlin Maragioglio, the coach’s daughter and a four-year starter. One of the top female wrestlers in Suffolk County after earning All-State honors last winter, she can contribute anywhere on the field, but has primarily been used at midfield and defense.

Junior Summer Seif scored against Half Hollow Hills West, and junior Emma Fostvedt found the back of the net against Half Hollow Hills East, giving the Clippers a 1-0 lead in the first half. Fostvedt is an outside back who controls the ball well and distributes.

Junior midfielder Emma Amendola is a key part of the midfield on the outside and is a soccer-first athlete, the coach noted. Junior forward Sadie Pracher brings a high soccer IQ.

Senior Rowan Schultz anchors the defense at center-back and brings quickness and a nose for the ball. Sophomore Ella Maragioglio, Caitlin’s younger sister, has moved to center-back from midfield and holds her own alongside Schultz. Junior Scarlett Van Wyen is another key piece to the lineup.

Bellport will try to crack the win column next Monday, Sept. 28, when it travels to West Babylon for a 4:30 p.m. match.