Newsday Athlete of the Week is Riverhead girls soccer player Alexis Re

Alexis Re is setting a new standard for Riverhead’s girls soccer program.

The senior forward has scored a Long Island-leading 21 goals and added three assists through eight games this season.

On Sept. 15, she scored all five of Riverhead’s goals, including the overtime winner in a 5-4 victory at Newfield. Six days earlier, she had six goals and an assist in a 10-2 win over Copiague.

Re is Newsday’s Athlete of the Week.

“I’ve seen her get triple-teamed and she can just break free,” coach Kasey Mandery said. “She has such strength on the ball and such quick footwork that she can beat anybody. She can score from a distance and she can draw a goalkeeper out and score from up close. She has so many tools that if we can get her the ball, she’s going to score.”

Re committed to West Virginia University last October and she’s been counting down the days until she officially becomes a Mountaineer. She won’t have to wait much longer, as she is expecting to graduate from Riverhead in the winter, just in time for the start of WVU’s spring semester. She will major in Exercise Physiology.

“I got recruited by a bunch of schools, but I only went on one college visit. It was to West Virginia and I fell in love with the campus and with the coaches,” Re said. “I’ve prepared myself as much as possible, but I’m just so excited to be in that environment. I’m ready to jump into it.”

In the meantime, Re will continue to lead Riverhead in what could be a historic season.

Between the 2021 and 2022 season, the Blue Waves won a total of five games. Standing at 4-3-1 and 4-3 against Suffolk I opponents, Riverhead has a legitimate chance to make its first playoff appearance in program history.

“To even be able to talk about making a playoff push is almost unheard of for a Riverhead soccer player,” Mandery said. “They’re all so excited and there’s a sense of belief. It’s been a long time coming, but it’s deserved.”

Re was a Newsday All-Long Island second-team selection as a junior when she scored 15 goals, but her individual accomplishments didn’t translate into team success until this year. She believes that this season is just a starting point for Riverhead.

“The new standard in the program going forward is to win,” Re said. “I coach some of the younger girls in PAL on Sundays and I want to get as many kids involved in the program as I can. When they come up, I want them to have something to look forward to.”

“I think she’s had such a big impact that it’s going to last after she leaves,” Mandery added. “She’s going to leave a legacy here.”