Young Soccer Players In Disbelief After Vandals Destroy Northport Fields

Updated Tuesday, Sept. 15 1:06 p.m.

NEW YORK(CBSNewYork) -- There were hundreds of young disappointed soccer players in Suffolk County on Monday.

As CBS2's Mark Morgan explained, they had hoped to open their new season over the weekend, but instead arrived to find the fields vandalized.

Young soccer fans stared in disbelief at the damage to the Cow Harbor Soccer Fields in Northport. The complex was left covered in tire tracks and ground-up turf.

"It was terrible what happened here. Nothing like this should ever happen," Liam Darrigo said.

Workers have been trying to smooth out the huge divots, damaged that was worsened by the weather.

"Due to the rain that we had Thursday, the fields were soft, so when they came in with the cars they were revving the engines, they were doing figure eights, and sliding and breaking the sod free from the dirt and moving it around," said Bill Koran of Koran Landscape Services.

Town public safety officers have been patrolling the grounds searching for clues to who would do this. The president of the Northport Cow Harbor Soccer Club told CBS2 that two of the fields are not usable.

"We think there were two vehicles involved. The gate was either left unlocked or they somehow had the combination to open it. Two of the fields cannot be used," he said.

Police, however, told WCBS 880's Sophia Hall they believe there was only one vehicle responsible.

Practices will continue on the least damaged fields as repairs go on.

"They're going to need to go ahead and re-topdress, re-aerate, and re-seed, and shut the fields down so this way you can let new seed regerminate," Koran said.

League officials said many games will have to be rescheduled for different locations.

With $10,000 in damage parents are outraged.

"It's disgusting, obviously, probably teenagers did it. Kids who weren't raised right, and I think there should be severe punishment," Jill Vitale said.

Police said the teens routinely use nearby parking lots to show off muscle cars, but right now there are not suspects.

There is no surveillance footage. The only nearby camera was not operating at the time.