Senior Teddi Carnesi notched a coveted hat trick to lead the Huntington varsity girls’ soccer team over visiting Bay Shore at Blue Devil Stadium, 5-1.
Carnesi was golden, blasting three shots past talented Bay Shore goalkeeper CJ Molina, who recorded 12 saves in the game. Analisse Batista tallied a goal and an assist. Katie Browne also scored. Emily Plachta and Eliza Walther contributed assists.
Huntington was coming off several frustrating losses, two of which saw the Blue Devil score goals only to have them disallowed by officials.
Batista was back in the lineup after a trip to visit an ailing relative. “Analisse’s speed and athleticism are impossible to replace so when she is missing, we aren’t the same team,” head coach John Walsh said. “She helps make things happen by beating opponents to the ball.”
The Blue Devils jumped out to a 2-0 halftime lead and were in control of the game for almost all 80 minutes. “It was a good win,” Walsh said. “Bay Shore made us work for it.”
Huntington goalies Makaylah Frazier, Ashley Genao and Reese Rinaldi all saw time in the net and combined to make nine saves.
“After today’s game I feel that we have our energy and style of play back,” Carnesi said. “The losses against Longwood and Connetquot were tough, but we can’t dwell on them. We have to move forward and that is what we did today. We are set on our next game and ready to compete.”
Huntington needed a win and the Blue Devils also needed a game where the offense exploded and they got both.
“I’m really happy with how today’s game turned out,” Browne said. “We were in a rut and finally came out of it. We worked really hard as a team and played for each other. I’m very proud of the team.”
The Blue Devils host Smithtown East today (Friday) at 4 p.m. It’s another must-win game for Huntington.