Injuries to a pair of its best players has slowed the Huntington varsity girls’ lacrosse team this spring. One goal losses to league foes Commack and Middle Country have stung the Blue Devils, but last Saturday afternoon they put all the troubles behind and staged a second half rally to edge Riverhead, 10-8.
Huntington has rarely found itself at full strength this spring and the Blue Devils now know they will never be, so coaches and players need to be especially creative as they enter a critical phase of the schedule.
Junior Gianna Forte enjoyed another big game against Riverhead. (Darin Reed photo.)
Riverhead seized an early advantage, moving ahead by halftime, 6-5. But Huntington was far from through, outscoring the visitors in the second half, 5-2 and controlling the ball for much of the final eight minutes to gain its sixth win of the season against four losses. (Huntington is 5-3 in league play.)
Gianna Forte (26 goals; 5 assists) was magnificent, scoring three goals for the Blue Devils. Grace Agrillo (8g; 1a) and Regan Sansiviero (17g; 16a) had two goals each. Katie Browne (23g; 14a) tallied a goal and four assists and Devon St. John (3g; 5a) added a goal and two assists. Gretel Cassell (15g; 2a) also scored and Bridget Callery (4g; 1a) had an assist. Goalie Ainsley Proctor stopped six shots.
“I think today’s win was a great bounce back,” Forte said. “We played really good as a team and everyone stepped up when it was necessary. We needed a really good team win especially with Northport being a huge game this week.”
Huntington plays at powerful Northport today (April 26) at 5 p.m. and then hosts Bay Shore on Saturday at 12 noon.
Cassell, Browne and Sansiviero, the team’s three captains, continue to provide unparalleled leadership for a Blue Devil squad that includes many young players.
“I thought during the second half we really clicked and were playing for each other, which led to our win,” Cassell said. “Defense played insane as well as Ainsley! I’m excited to play some harder teams this week and hopefully come out on top.”
Sansiviero is more valuable than ever to Huntington, displaying an ability to not only score goals, but as a playmaker, too. Like her teammates, the senior felt good after edging Riverhead.
“I think overall it was an exciting game,” Sansiviero said. “We started off great and then hit a bit of a rough patch, but we were able to come together as a team and do what was needed to get the win.”
Riverhead pushed Huntington hard and made the Blue Devils earn the victory. The Blue Waves were led by Ava Lily Sumwalt (48g; 18a) who notched five goals and added two assists. Rachel Rempe (18g; 12a) had two goals and three assists.
Huntington needs to win games if the Blue Devils want to reach the post-season. Coaches Shea Scully, Katie Reilly and Chris Taylor are convinced their team has what it takes. It’s only a matter of consistency.