While the Huntington High School varsity girls’ lacrosse team is dominated by underclassmen, the young Blue Devil squad is optimistic and it heads into the season.
Maya Santa-Maria is a splendid goalie for the Blue Devils. (Mike Connell photo)
Led by first year head coach Beth Vogelsang and assistant coaches Vincent Tannazzo and Carli Clementi, Huntington is captained by juniors Abby Maichin, Holly Wright and Maya Santa-Maria and senior Paige Lennon.
Huntington finished 8-6 in Suffolk Division I play last spring and went 8-7 overall. Maichin was named All-County after tallying 48 goals and 20 assists. The junior has given Notre Dame a verbal commitment to play lacrosse for the Fighting Irish.
“We are a really young, yet strong team with a lot of potential,” Maichin said. “We have a team of great individual lacrosse players and we are working on gaining more team chemistry to make us successful throughout our season. I’m super excited to see how things play out come the beginning of league play on Thursday.”
In addition to the captains, the roster includes freshmen Katie Browne, Gretel Cassell and Emily Plachta; sophomores Alexa Amorison, Marina Durand, Jordan Forte, Julia Gorecki, Charlotte Maggio, Lisa Martin and Julia Steinberg; juniors Megan Agrillo, Lena Annunziata, Emily Cheshire, Caroline Hartough and Marissa Stafford; and seniors Maire Brown and Alyssa Sorensen.
“So far the team looks great,” said Lennon, who is headed to the US Military Academy at West Point next fall. “We are all already so close from previous years and other sports. We are an extremely fast team with a really strong defense and a good offense that utilizes our talents. It’s so exciting to see how good the season will go.”
Forte was named Huntington’s Rookie of the Year Award winner last spring while Agrillo was the Blue Devils’ Unsung Hero Award recipient. Wright captured All-Tournament honors.
Stafford said she will “kind of all over the place.” She’s playing defensive midfield and she is also on the draw circle, controlling transitions and even playing offense.
“I am so excited for the season to get into full swing because we have been working so hard at practice and are really beginning to mesh as a team,” said Stafford, who has given Cornell University a verbal commitment. “Our defense is so strong and our shooters find the back of the net so well. I can’t wait to see how the season plays out.”
Wright and Agrillo will be helping to anchor the defense. “The team is very excited for this season,” said Wright, who is verbally committed to SUNY Cortland. “We all have been working really hard to accomplish our goals every day. This team is a young team. Last year we graduated many key players from all over the field, but we have three great seniors and eight great juniors that will led this team, along with our three great coaches. I can’t wait to see all that this season has in store for us. Our first league game is Thursday against Smithtown West and we all can’t wait to show them how far we have come since last year.”
Santa-Maria returns as the team’s goalie after stopping 94 shots as a sophomore. “We have a lot of heart and we get better every day,” said the junior, who has given the University of Michigan a verbal commitment. “We are hardworking.”
After a standout season as an eighth grader on the varsity, Browne is looking to make even more of an impact this spring. Several other young players are being counted on to provide Huntington with the strong play it needs to be successful against many of Suffolk’s best teams.
The Blue Devils take on Smithtown West at home on Thursday at 4 p.m. in the league opener. Huntington will host Farmingdale next Monday at 4 p.m. in a non-league game.
