Anna Wickey shrugged off injury and Lauren LoScalzo overcame her nerves and self-doubts as both blasted in goals during a shootout to propel the Huntington varsity field hockey team to victory over Comsewogue on Saturday.
The two teams went toe-to-toe through regulation and overtime. Neither could score. Huntington was hamstrung when Wickey was forced to the sidelines after injuring herself. But the Blue Devils endured, going full-speed without their star in what might have been the biggest game of the year.
Senior Megan Byrnes with the ball for Huntington. (Darin Reed photo)
Forced into a shootout to decide the winner, Wickey came off the bench to score and LoScalzo did the same to give Huntington the 1-0 victory. (The shootout winner is given one point.)
“The game was definitely one to remember,” LoScalzo said. “It was the game that would seal us into playoffs. The score remaining 0-0 until the end shows that it was a tough one. Losing Anna, being our strongest player, halfway through the game was a huge letdown, but we kept our heads up! Playing harder than we ever played before helped us to go into overtime and then into shootouts. Anna knocking the ball in during her shootout was just the start to our win. Coach telling me to take one and me being nervous and doubtful was the opposite of how I should’ve felt! When the ball went into the goal it was just happiness that filled all our bodies knowing that our season isn’t over yet.”
Wickey is one of Suffolk’s top players, so when she went down with an injury, Huntington felt it. But the rest of the team picked up any slack and went into overdrive the rest of the way.
“Today’s win was a huge accomplishment for Huntington field hockey,” Wickey said. “The team battled and kept the score 0-0 despite the many cards that were given to players and me getting hurt and having to come out of the game.”
Blue Devil goalie Julie Rogel was magnificent, recording 12 saves. She now has 96 this fall. Huntington coaches Kathy Wright and Allison Conlon were on pins and needles throughout the game, but once the win was locked up, the pair wore big smiles.
“It was a great win,” said Holly Wright, who plays a key role all over the field. “We have been taking about this game all season long. We knew it was going to be a hard and physical game. We went into overtime, played for 10 minutes and no one scored. We then went into shootouts. Anna got hurt in the beginning of the second half so that was hard for us; thank God she was able to do shootouts though. Anna and Lauren got there’s in. Super exciting. As a team, we worked so beyond well with each other. We had everyone’s back the entire game. Really I am so proud of my team. This couldn’t have been done without our coaches. It was a great day to be us.”
Everyone did their job and did it well. The defense again rose to the occasion, keeping Comsewogue scoreless. The victory was another big step for Huntington as it drives for a playoff spot.
“We came away with a remarkable win today,” said Meg Byrnes, one of the Blue Devils’ stars. “We were tied after regular play and went into overtime with a man down and yet we were still able to keep Comsewogue from putting one in the back of the net. Our goalie Julie Rogel worked hard to keep them at bay all morning long. It was a very physical game and our teamwork was amazing. We kept our composure despite injury and in several key situations. I am so proud of how hard we are all working and how we have had each other’s backs the entire season. We are getting stronger every game and we definitely have our eyes set on a run for the playoffs.”
Huntington plays undefeated first place Sachem East on Tuesday and Riverhead on Thursday. Both games will be played on the Blue Devil Stadium turf field at 4 p.m. The game against Riverhead will be preceded by Senior Day ceremonies.
