What a fabulous first season for Nora Basile with the Long Island Rough Riders women’s team.
She turned into a force off the bench and thanks to her performance as a super sub, was named the team’s Young Player of the Year.
Basile played with the Rough Riders while still attending South Side High School in Rockville Centre, N.Y. She is in her freshman year on the St. John’s University women’s team.
“She came in as kind of a transitional player from high school to college,” Rough Riders head coach Matt Lannon said. “In my opinion, she’s already a college player. She did everything we asked. She had a great mentality, and a great attitude. She knew she wasn’t going to play from the get-go for us but stuck to it and ended up starting in the playoff semifinals. She had some good games and good goals. I thought she did really well.”
The transition from playing in high school to against college-age players was a smooth one for the 5-foot-6 Basile.
“She took to it, like a duck to water,” Lannon said.
Basile usually was the first player off the bench for the Rough Riders.
According to Lannon, her most memorable game was in the 7-0 home win over Paisley Athletic on June 19.
Only minutes after coming on as a substitute, Basile fired home a bullet, off a precision right-wing cross from fellow substitute Alyse Then for a 6-0 advantage in the 65th minute. She connected for her second of the night five minutes later, turning a Lia Howard pass into a goal from six yards for a seven-goal margin and her third goal of the campaign.
“She came in and made a real difference,” Lannon said. “She was a tough place to be. She was always the first one to come on, and she’s always asked to make a difference, and she certainly did.”
Through games of Sunday, Sept. 15, Basile has started six of seven games for St. John’s.
“I think she will be one of the top college players in the Big East,” Lannon said.
The Rough Riders won the USL W-League Metropolitan Division title with a 10-0-2 record and 69 points. The team outscored its opposition in the regular season, 69-9.
Basile, a three-time All-New York State high school selection, is eligible to return to the Rough Riders for the 2025 USL W League season, if she so desires.
The Rough Riders will return to action next May.
Stay updated with the latest on the Rough Riders by visiting www.LIRoughRiders.com.