The Huntington field hockey team won its third straight game late Wednesday won it cruised past William Floyd on the Blue Devil Stadium turf field, 6-1.
Huntington built was proved to be an insurmountable 4-0 halftime lead and sailed to victory behind an outstanding offense, stingy defense and sharp goaltending by Carlee Schultz and Lauren Holly.
Kaci McDonald continued her spectacular play, tallying two goals and an assist for the Blue Devils. Tessie Maerz had a goal and an assist. Laurel Bonn, Gemma Cartwright and Brooke Parks also scored goals in the game. Grace Agrillo, Stephanie Wickey and Erin Scanlon added assists.
“The key to us winning is the team’s overall effort in practice and desire to go to playoffs,” Bonn said. “During our week break from our last game, we have learned and practiced new drills that have dramatically improved our game. We have also been growing closer as a team by having pasta parties, going to Rosa’s Pizza, hyping up our ‘game day buddies’ the day before a game. I am so beyond proud of how this team played today and can’t wait to play again on Friday!”
Huntington’s current winning streak commenced on September 10 at Half Hollow Hills, where the Blue Devils nipped the Thunderbirds, 1-0. Huntington then shutout Riverhead at home, 2-0 before overwhelming Floyd this week. The Blue Devils have outscored their opponents during the streak by a 9-1 margin.
“I think that the key to winning has been really working together as a team and trusting one another,” McDonald said. “If we keep playing this way we are going to be hard to beat.”
The Blue Devils are coached by Kathy Wright and Allison Conlon and feature a lineup almost exclusively consisting of underclassmen. Holly is the only senior on the squad.
“The key [to winning these games] has definitely been teamwork,” Maerz said. “We are backing each other up on the field and getting open. We have been using the sides of the field more, which has improved our game tremendously. We have also been more vocal on the field, which helps us know where everyone is and improves our passes. We make sure to have fun on and off the field and play for the love of the game as one team. I am so happy about how far the team has come and excited to see what the rest of the season has in store.”
Huntington hosts Lindenhurst on Friday as the Blue Devils will look to keep their winning streak alive.
“We’ve all worked so much to get where we are and I’m so happy to be playing with my amazing teammates,” Schultz said. “I can’t wait to see what the rest of our season is going to look like.”
The Blue Devils are a determined group and they clearly have their eyes on a post-season playoff berth. “I think that we are working together on the field much better,” Agrillo said. “Our passes and team dodges are much crisper and our team bond has gotten so strong. We are able to communicate with each other on a higher level than in the beginning when we were all just kind of getting a feel for one another.”