The Long Island Rough Riders, formerly known as the Long Island Lady Riders, is an American women's

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

team, based out of

Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18th ...

. Founded in 1994, the team was under the ownership of

Chuck Jacob Chuck is a masculine given name or a nickname for Charles or Charlie. It may refer to: People Arts and entertainment * Chuck Alaimo, American saxophonist, leader of the Chuck Alaimo Quartet * Chuck Barris (1929–2017), American TV producer * C ...

, who at the time also owned the men's

Long Island Rough Riders The Long Island Rough Riders are an American soccer team based in South Huntington, New York, United States. Founded in 1994, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays its home games at Hofst ...

up until 1997 before selling it to

Frank Boulton Frank Boulton is a baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning wh ...

. At this time, the Rough Riders transitioned names and became known as the Lady Riders for several years. In 2007, the Rough Riders acquired territorial and franchise rights to the women's Lady Riders team. For the first time since 1997, the men's and women's teams would be under the same name and they have been ever since. The Rough Riders were an original member of the USL W-League and played in all 21 seasons before the league disbanded in late 2015. The team was a member of United Women's Soccer from 2016-2021. They now play in the second version of the USL W League. Long Island plays its home games at

Mitchel Athletic Complex The Mitchel Athletic Complex is part of the Mitchel Field complex, located in Uniondale, New York, on the site of the decommissioned Mitchel Air Force Base. The facility is owned by Nassau County. It is used mostly for football and soccer and als ...

. The club's colors are blue and white. The team is a sister organization of the men's

team, which plays in the

USL League Two USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syste ...

History

Early years in the USL W-League

Established in 1994, the Long Island Women's Rough Riders participated in the United Soccer League W-League. Under the ownership of

, the team had a successful inaugural season, winning the very first W-League Championship in 1995. During this same year, the men's Rough Riders also won a championship. The Rough Riders finished the 1996 season in second place at 7-3-0 overall.

Kim Wyant Kimberly Wyant (born February 11, 1964) is an American soccer coach and retired player. She is the head coach of the New York University men's soccer team, currently, one of only two women to lead a men's NCAA National Collegiate Athletic Associ ...

was named W-League Goalkeeper of the Year for the second consecutive season. Long Island went 9-1-0 in 1997, topping their division. During the championship playoff series, Wyant and the Rough Riders shut out defending champions Maryland Pride, and defeated

California Storm California Storm is an American women's soccer team, founded in 1995 as the Sacramento Storm, dropping the city name in favor of California the following season. The team is a member of the Women's Premier Soccer League, the second tier of wom ...

, 3-2, after winning 1-0 in the penalty shootout. During the championship match against the Chicago Cobras, the Rough Riders took the lead in the 48th minute on a goal by Jen Bauman. The Cobras scored an equalizer a few minutes later and both teams battled through overtime where the game was decided in a penalty shootout. Wyant, who was later named tournament MVP, made key saves, allowing just one goal in the shootout. Debbie Johnson scored the first goal for the Rough Riders and Teresa Petruccelli secured the game winner, leading the team to their second W-League Championship. During the 1997 offseason,

, the owners of both the men's and women's Rough Riders, sold the teams to

, founder/CEO of the

Long Island Ducks The Long Island Ducks are an American professional minor-league baseball team based on Long Island in Central Islip, New York. The Ducks compete in the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), an independent "partne ...

Transition to the W-1 Division

Now known as the Lady Riders, the team finished in third place in the North Division at 10-4 overall, advancing to the playoffs for the second consecutive season. The Lady Riders were defeated 2-1 by Maryland in the divisional finals. Wyant was named the W-League Goalkeeper of the Year for the fourth consecutive season. The Lady Riders went 10-4-1 in 1999, good for second place in the W-1 Division. They advanced to the divisional playoffs, losing 4-1 to Maryland in the first round. The Lady Riders also upset the Brazilian Women's National Team 2-0 in an exhibition that offseason. In 2000, the Lady Riders finished in second place in the division at 10-3-1. Long Island finished atop of the Eastern Conference Northeast Division in 2001 with an 11-2-1 record and 51 points, solidifying a spot in the conference playoffs. During the Conference Semifinals, the Lady Riders defeated Springfield 2-1 and advanced to the Conference Final, where they lost 3-1 to Boston.

Transition back to the USL W-League

The Lady Riders went 11-3-0 during the 2002 season in the USL W-League. Coach Emma Hayes was named the W-League Coach of the Year. The Lady Riders ended the 2003 season in second place in the Northeast Division of the W-League at 9-5-0 (27 points). The team advanced to the divisional championships, where they were eliminated by the

New Jersey Stallions The New Jersey Stallions were an American soccer team, founded in 1996, which competed in various divisions of the United Soccer Leagues until 2004, after which the team left the league and the franchise was terminated. The club originally star ...

, 4-2. Long Island went 11-3-0 (33 points) the next season; good for a second-place finish and a four-consecutive playoff berth. The Lady Riders defeated the New Jersey Stallions 1-0 in the Eastern Divisional Final and moved onto the Eastern Semifinals against the

Montreal Xtreme The Montreal Xtreme were a women's soccer club based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They played only the 2004 season in the W-League. The team played its home games in Soccerplexe Catalogna in Lachine, Quebec. The team's colours were blue and wh ...

, losing 6-5. In 2005, the Lady Riders finished the season in third place at 8-6-0 (24 points). Long Island also advanced to the playoffs for the 10th time in franchise history. The Lady Riders defeated the Western Mass Lady Pioneers 3-1 in the quarterfinals, but lost 5-1 to the Ottawa Fury Women in the next round. The team ended the 2006 season in fourth place in the Northeast Division at 7-5-2 record and 23 points. Long Island lost 3-2 to the New Jersey Wildcats in the conference semifinals. In 2007,

, the former face of the team, stepped down from her role as general manager. The

acquired the W-League franchise, formerly known as the Long Island Lady Riders. This season was the first season since 1997 that both the men's and women's teams would be known as the Rough Riders. Under the leadership of co-head coaches John Fitzgerald and Declan McSheffrey, the team finished in sixth place in the Northeast Division at 5-7-2 (17 points). The team did not secure a berth into the playoffs. The Rough Riders went 9-3-2 (29 points) the following season and returned to the playoffs. Brooke DeRosa scored in the 1-0 win against the

Boston Renegades Boston Renegades was an American women’s soccer team, founded in 2003. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues USL W-League, the second tier of women’s soccer in the United States and Canada. The team plays in the Northeast Divisi ...

in the Eastern Divisional match. Long Island lost 1-0 to the

Atlanta Silverbacks Women Atlanta Silverbacks Women was an American women's soccer team that played from 2005 through 2016. The team played in the USL W-League from 2005 until the league folded after the 2015 season. For the 2016 season they played in the Women's Premier ...

in the next round. Following a very successful 2008 season, where the team qualified for the Conference Final Four, the Women's Rough Riders looked to return to the W-League playoffs for the second consecutive season. The team saw several key players return for the 2009 season, including

Kerri McCabe Kerry or Kerri may refer to: * Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name) Places * Kerry, Queensland, Australia * County Kerry, Ireland ** Kerry Airport, an international airport in County ...

and Brooke DeRosa, and welcomed U-20 United States National Team member,

Gina DiMartino Gina DiMartino (born July 31, 1988) is an American soccer player from Massapequa, New York. She previously played for the Philadelphia Independence of Women's Professional Soccer and the United States U-23 women's national soccer team. Her ...

. Long Island finished in fourth place at 6-7-1 overall. In 2010, the Rough Riders went 7-5-0 (21 points), finishing in fourth place in the Northeast Division. The team failed to make the playoffs for the second year in a row. The Rough Riders went 7-1-2 in 2011, finishing atop the Northeast Division. After a two-year playoff absence, the Rough Riders lost 2-1 in the Conference Semifinal against the Charlotte Lady Eagles. The Rough Riders received the Fair Play Award for their sportsmanlike conduct throughout the season. In 2012, the Rough Riders clinched the Northeast Division title for the second consecutive season, going 9-3-0. Long Island lost 4-0 to the Charlotte Lady Eagles in the Eastern Conference Semifinal. In the offseason, former Rough Riders standout Crystal Dunn become a U-20 World Cup Champion as she helped lead the United States to victory against Germany. Dunn, a Mac Hermann Trophy finalist, also guided the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

to its 22nd NCAA Championship. The 2013 season marked the return of two-time W-League Defender of the Year, Sue Alber-Weber. Finishing 6-6-0, the Rough Riders failed to secure a spot in the playoffs. In April,

Vaila Barsley Vaila Marie Barsley (born 15 September 1987) is a Scottish football defender who plays for Swedish Damallsvenskan club IF Brommapojkarna. Club career Barsley played college soccer for St. John's Red Storm while attending St. John's University o ...

, a former player during the 2009–10 and 2012 seasons, signed a professional contract with Sweden's

Eskilstuna United Eskilstuna United DFF is a Association football, football club from Eskilstuna, in Södermanland County, Sweden. The club was established in 2002 and was promoted into the Women's Premier Division (Damallsvenskan) for the first time in 2014. The ...

. Rough Riders defender Gabrielle Charno and midfielder

Grace Hawkins Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an unincor ...

were named to the W-League All-Conference Team. Long Island finished in fifth place the following campaign at 3-4-5. Former players Crystal Dunn and

Kim DeCesare Kimberly Mary DeCesare (born August 11, 1991) is an American soccer player who played for Sky Blue FC in the National Women's Soccer League. Over three seasons with the team, she made 15 appearances before asking to be released on July 19, 2017. ...

were drafted to the

National Women's Soccer League The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a professional women's soccer league at the top of the United States league system. It is owned by the teams and, until 2020, was under a management contract with the United States Soccer Federatio ...

by the Washington Spirit and Boston Breakers, respectively. Former

Wales national football team ) , Association = Football Association of Wales (FAW) , Confederation = UEFA (Europe) , Coach = Rob Page , Captain = Gareth Bale , Most caps = Gareth Bale (111) , Top scorer = Gareth ...

member and recent

Middle Tennessee State Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU or MT) is a public university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Founded in 1911 as a normal school, the university consists of eight Undergraduate education, undergraduate colleges as well as a college of Postgr ...

graduate Shan Jones joined the squad in 2015. Long Island finished in third place at 6-2-4 overall. Shan Jones, Casie Ludemann and Sue Alber-Weber were all named to the W-League All-Conference team. Jones and Alber-Weber were named to the 2015 W-League All-League team. In September, former Rough Rider Crystal Dunn was voted the MVP of the National Women's Soccer League, scoring 15 goals in 20 matches.

United Women's Soccer

The Rough Riders joined United Women's Soccer for the 2016 season after the USL W-League folded. The team went 4-3-3 (16 points) in its first season in UWS, finishing in third place in the Eastern Conference. Long Island went 8-2-2 in 201
en route to the UWS Eastern Conference title
and berth in the UWS National Championship Semifinal. The Rough Riders, who scored a conference-best 35 goals during the regular season and tied for the second-best defense (10 goals allowed), lost on penalty kicks to eventual UWS champion Grand Rapids FC in the national semifinal. Karim Diallo wa
named head coach on May 7, 2018
His first season in charge was up and down as th
Rough Riders finished 5-3-2
just shy of qualifying for the playoffs. The team ended the season with three consecutive victories, including a 9-1 win over Worcester Smiles on July 7.

USL W League

The team joined the revived USL W League on January 31, 2022.

Players

Notable former players

* Crystal Dunn *

Elaine O'Connor Elaine O'Connor (born 20 February 1982) is an Irish former football midfielder. O'Connor played for clubs including Arsenal and Long Island Lady Riders and represented the Republic of Ireland at senior international level. Club career O'Connor ...

Salma Tarik Salma Tarik Mohamed Abdelmotaleb Ahmed (born 22 November 1989) is an Egyptian international footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Egypt women's national football team. At the club level, she played for Smouha in Egypt. Early life and edu ...

* Susan Weber *

Sara Whalen Sara Eve Hess (; born April 28, 1976) is a retired American professional Olympic medalist soccer player. Whalen played for the United States Women's National Soccer Team from 1997 to 2000, won an Olympic silver medal with the team, and was a foun ...

* Shannon Sepe Keenan

Year-by-year

Stadia

;

Uniondale, New York Uniondale is a census-designated place (CDP), as well as a suburb in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, New York (state), New York, on Long Island, in the Town of Hempstead, New York, Town of Hempstead. The population was 32,473 at the 2020 ...

(2022–present) *

Hofstra University Soccer Stadium Hofstra University Soccer Stadium, is a 1,600 seat soccer-specific stadium on the campus of Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. It is part of the Hofstra University sports complex. First opened in 2003, it is the home field of the Hofstra ...

;

Hempstead, New York The Town of Hempstead (also known historically as South Hempstead) is the largest of the three Administrative divisions of New York#Town, towns in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County (alongside North Hempstead, New York, North Hempstead and Oys ...

(2018–2021) * Cy Donelly Stadium at St. Anthony's High School,

South Huntington, New York South Huntington is an affluent hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) within the Town of Huntington in Suffolk County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 9,422 at the 2010 census. Residents have a Huntington Stat ...

2008-17 * Michael Tully Field,

New Hyde Park, New York New Hyde Park is a village (New York), village in the Towns of Hempstead, New York, Hempstead and North Hempstead, New York, North Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York (state), New York, United States. ...

2007-08

References

External links

Long Island Rough Riders website
{{New York Sports Women's soccer clubs in New York (state) USL W-League (1995–2015) teams United Women's Soccer teams 1994 establishments in New York (state) USL W League teams