Alison Heideman beat a linebacker in the Tuckers’ season-ending loss on Sunday.
This is not the way it should end for the Mattituck/Southold/Greenport women’s lacrosse team.
Not in a 14-3 loss to Cold Spring Harbor in the Long Island Class D title game, and star striker and senior co-captain Ella Suglia was on the bench to heal a knee injury.
“I have a lot of emotions going on right now,” said Suria, who left Adelphi University’s Motamed Stadium on crutches Sunday afternoon.[I’m] A little shocked. “
So did her teammates, who thought they could keep us with the Seahawks (13-5), who won their fifth straight Long Island title.
“Honestly, I don’t think we played as expected,” said senior co-captain Sage Foster, who had a goal and an assist. “We started off very slowly. We did have some good things at the end, but a little [stinks] We didn’t start the way we ended. “
There is unusual symmetry in the playoffs for both of the Tuckers’ lacrosse programs this year. The boys and girls teams beat their respective Babylon HS opponents to win the Suffolk County Championship before losing to their Cold Spring Harbor counterparts in the LI tournament.
Most championship-level high school teams feature seniors. The Seahawks (13-5) have just two 12th graders among their starters, plus three juniors and seven sophomores. Sophomore Ryan Reynolds scored 6 goals, followed by Maggie Siver with 4 goals and 2 assists. Teenager Amelia Bentley added two goals. Sophomore Kelly Callahan and senior Hannah Fansen each scored a goal against junior goaltender Aiko Fujita.
“I don’t really think they should be in class D, but they’re only for ninth and tenth graders,” Foster said.
Due to the school’s large population, the Seahawks play in the D division.
MSG freshman Gianna Calise won three of Reynolds’ opening four matchups, but CSH took a 4-0 lead with just three minutes and 18 seconds to go.
CSH were up 9-0 when Foster scored MSG’s first goal assisted by Calise with 5:40 left in the first half. Sofia Knudsen’s brilliant run down the right flank created the first goal and Suria also netted for MSG.
“I think we’re a little bit out of energy,” Suria said.
Scottia’s injury did not affect the outcome of the game. She finished her high school career with her final team-leading 35th goal of the season, beating goaltender Maya Soskin from the right at 3:38 of the second half when she was hit in the left knee by a CSH player .
“I got the ball from Sophia and saw the shot,” she said. “Someone pushed me from behind as I was taking it. Something popped in my knee. The keeper said it was a good shot. That’s all I remember.”
Suglia fell to the ground, and Ray Ellis, the school’s athletic coach, attended to her injuries. She was assisted off the court by assistant coach Kaitlyn Appel and Ellis to the bench. Scottia watched the next game with tears in her eyes.
“It couldn’t have happened to a better kid,” head coach Logan McGuinn said. “She had back surgery in the offseason. She’s one of the hardest workers to get back in shape. It’s just [is a shame] Check out her season and now back to the recovery process and getting ready to play at DI Academy. “
Suglia will attend UNC Charlotte this fall.
McGinn said Suglia’s impact on the team was “almost indescribable.”
“She was one of the focal points of the rebuilding process,” he added. “When I took over a team three years ago, we talked about creating a new standard and making it our standard, and she was that standard.”
Aside from brilliance and grit, senior co-captain Brynn Gardner said one of the keys to MSG’s success this season has been its “family atmosphere.”
“I don’t think there’s any other team like it,” she said.
McGinn agreed.
“It actually frustrates you because you love training with this team,” he said. “Now that it’s over, it does kind of stink. They were a great group of girls. I think they miss the practice the most; memories of a lifetime. Just laughing and joking around. Hopefully that’s something we can emulate.”
With a crop of promising freshmen contributing this season, the next phase of the rebuilding process can’t come soon enough.
