Longwood girls soccer's Brooke Pfeiffer scores twice to help draw with Ward Melville
Brooke Pfeiffer of Longwood, center, reacts with teammates Isabella Iannitti, left, and Samantha Jordan in the second half of a Suffolk Division I girls soccer game on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. Credit: Dawn McCormick
The Longwood girls soccer team fell behind Ward Melville early on. However, the Lions found an answer when it mattered most.
That answer was Brooke Pfeiffer.
Pfeiffer scored both of Longwood’s goals, including the eventual game-tying goal, in the Lions’ 2-2 draw after two overtime periods in a Suffolk Class AAA matchup Tuesday afternoon at Longwood.
“She is a key piece to our success,” Longwood coach Eric Stark said. “Her speed and elite shot-making make her a constant threat.”
Ward Melville (1-0-1) clicked early as junior forward Ava Anatol scored off a rebound at the seven-minute mark of the first half to make it 1-0. The defense, led by center back Rachel Weber, made things difficult for Longwood (2-1-1), which took only three shots in the frame.
“We played hard the whole game,” center back Talia Schneider said. “We pressured really well, and we opened up space really well and made those connective passes. That took us far.”
After Molly Combs scored to give the Patriots a 2-0 lead in the second half, Longwood’s offense eventually settled in.
Junior midfielder Mia Drossel took a corner kick that set up a header by Pfeiffer, putting Longwood on the board with 17:34 left in the half.
Pfeiffer’s equalizer with nine minutes left came from her driving down the sideline and lofting it over the defender and netting it into the bottom right corner.
“I was just trying to do whatever I could to score,” Pfeiffer said. “I was just thinking about putting the ball in the back of the net and seeing what could happen.”
After 18 minutes of play, it was called a draw.
“I’ll give both teams credit. They left a lot out on the field. I was quite happy with our play through most of it,” Ward Melville coach Mark Nash said. “We are seeing the ideas, but moving forward it’s about how we execute.”
Longwood’s Liana Collazo and Ward Melville’s Giavanna Parente both made six saves.
Longwood had lost to Ward Melville in their last five matchups, including last year’s quarterfinals. So, drawing with one of Suffolk’s premier teams gave the Lions a confidence boost.
“They are one of Suffolk’s top teams,” Stark said. “So much respect for them, but getting this result is huge for us.”
Jonathan Ruban covers high school sports for Newsday after graduating from St. John’s.
