Tuesday, November 10, 2026
Seaford junior defensive central midfielder Grace Cullingford routinely takes long shots during shooting drills in practice and in last Thursday's Long Island Class A girls soccer championship game that preparation paid off when it mattered most.
Cullingford booted home a 30-yard shot from her opposite left foot just under the crossbar with 12.9 seconds left in the second half of the Long Island Class C finals against Mount Sinai at Farmingdale State to deliver the Vikings a dramatic 2-1 win. The last second goal delivered Seaford the program's second Long Island title and first since 2022.
“I had a lot of space in front of me and I knew there was only 15 to 20 seconds left so I just got the ball and I dribbled a few steps and I just took the shot because I knew that we didn't have the time,” said Cullingford, who received the pass for the ultimate winning shot from Georgina Deros. “We definitely did not want to go into overtime so it was really special to have that moment and then we could just celebrate right after without having to worry about extra time,” she added.
Cullingford's heroics advanced Seaford (13-5-2) into the Southeast regional final back at Farmingdale State against unbeaten Westchester County power Rye Sunday where the Vikings’ magical season ended with a 5-1 loss.
The Long Island finals appeared headed to overtime after Mount Sinai’s Sophia Albertina tallied a tying goal with just 4:02 remaining. Prior to the equalizer, Seaford had dominated possession for most of the match.
The Vikings took a 1-0 lead on a 25-yard shot from senior midfielder Zoe Qosa that deflected off a defender into the left side of the net.
Seaford had ensuing chances to put the match away but Mount Sinai goalkeeper Charlotte Laraque kept the Suffolk County Class A champions in the mix with a 10-save effort. It was the strong play of Laraque that made her winning shot perfectly placed.
“It caught a little bit of the underside of the crossbar and it couldn't have been an inch lower and it couldn't have been an inch higher and it needed to be exactly where it was to go in,” said Seaford coach Ken Botti. “She doesn't pull the trigger on a shot like that a lot and I think as a savvy soccer player she knew what was at stake and she knew what was happening in the moment.”
Seaford was positioned for a Long Island title after repeating as county champions with a dominating 4-1 win against Floral Park in the Class A finals on Halloween led by two goals from junior Guiliana Viggiano along with a goal apiece by Riley Stovall and Deros. Senior goalkeeper Kelly Harrington recorded four saves.
Cullingford said strong chemistry on and off the field, which included bonding activities like braiding teammates hair before matches paved the way for a historic season
“We always go out to get food and we always go to each other's houses,” Cullingford said. “We're really really close.”
