With the start of the USL W League season less than a month away, the Long Island Rough Riders women’s team has started to stock its roster.
The club announced four signings – Nora Basile (St. John’s University), Gabby Marte (Hofstra University), Alyssa Abrahams (University of Kentucky) and Maggie Ledwith (Indiana University).
Nora Basile, St. John’s University
The Rough Riders’ Young Player of the Year last season, Basile was a force off the bench as a super sub for the Metropolitan Division champions. She started the season while completing her senior year while attending South Side High School in Rockville Centre, N.Y.
According to Rough Riders women’s head coach Matt 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.
Basile enjoyed a promising freshman season with the Johnnies, collecting two goals and two assists in 17 matches and 16 starts at forward. She tallied the lone goal in the Red Storm’s 1-0 season finale win over Creighton University on Oct. 31, which the Johnnies’ communication called “a world class goal.” After taking a pass, Basile made a separating move and drilled a shot that soared over the goalkeeper’s head and dropped into the top corner of the net in the 61st minute.
She finished her first goal with two goals, recording a goal and an assist in 3-3 draw with the University of Connecticut on Sept. 22.
Gabby Marte, Hofstra University
The Middletown, Del. resident finished her career with the Pride with two goals and one assist in 41 appearances. The defender recorded a goal and an assist last fall. After assisting on a goal in a 2-1 loss at the University of Delaware on Sept. 22, Marte tallied a goal in a 2-0 win over Hampton on Oct. 13, playing 18 matches in 2024.
While attending Caravel Academy in Bear, Del., Marte played four years on the varsity. She was named to the All-Delaware first team twice as a sophomore and senior. She also was named one of Delaware’s Top XI as a senior. Marte scored 26 career goals and added 22 assists. She helped the squad win the Division II state championship in 2017, 2019 and 2021.
Marte also is a member of the Dominican Republic women’s national team, making six appearances.
She is majoring in speech-language hearing science.
Alyssa Abramson, University of Kentucky
After playing her first two college seasons at Syracuse University, the Medford, N.Y. resident transferred to Kentucky last year.
As a sophomore at Syracuse Abramson started all 18 games and scored her first goal vs. Siena. As a junior at Kentucky she played in 15 contests while logging 459 minutes. For the Rough Riders, she was an impact player last season across the back line, including a huge performance in the first round playoff win.
Alyssa is majoring in exercise science.
Maggie Ledwith, Indiana University
Ledwith will enter her sophomore college campaign this fall. The New Hyde Park, N.Y. native participated in 16 games in her rookie season, making her college debut in a 2-1 win at Ball State University last Aug. 29. She recorded her first collegiate assist in a 3-1 victory over Oregon on Oct. 26.
At Herricks High School, Ledwith recorded 45 goals and 13 assists. She was named her conference player of the year, All-County, All-American watch list and earned All-New York State honors in 2022.
Ledwith also participated in U.S. Under-14 and U-16 U.S. women’s national team training camps in 2020 and 2021.
The Rough Riders kick off their 2025 season, hosting AC Connecticut at Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale, N.Y. on Sunday, May 18 at 3:30 p.m.
Season and single game tickets are now on sale and if you are looking to gain a closer relationship with any of these four players, you can join the ‘Sponsor a Player’ campaign which allows access to training from a player, a signed jersey and 10 tickets towards the upcoming season. These can be found HERE
Written by Michael Lewis