There’s no denying that this one hurt. It really hurt. The Huntington girls’ lacrosse team played its heart out on Wednesday at William Floyd, but fell short, dropping a 10-6 verdict in a Suffolk Division I quarterfinal playoff game. When it was over the Blue Devils cried; they hugged and they walked off the field with their heads held high.
Huntington went goal-for-goal with William Floyd throughout much of the first half and trailed 5-4 at halftime. But the Blue Devils found themselves unable to ever tie the game or go ahead in the second half.
Leading 8-6 with less than 10 minutes remaining, William Floyd added a pair of insurance goals to put the game out of reach. Huntington went down fighting. During a series of timeouts, Blue Devil coaches Shea Scully, Katie Reilly and Chris Taylor all implored their players to reach down deep inside and leave it all on their field and that’s just what the team did, playing hard to the end.
Gianna Forte (44 goals; 12 assists) and Gretel Cassell (22g; 3a) scored two goals each. Katie Browne (39g; 17a) and Grace Gordon (2g) both tallied a goal. Regan Sansiviero (24g; 29a) had two assists. Goalie Ainsley Proctor played a good game in the cage.
When the final horn sounded, the Blue Devils walked off the field with tears in their eyes. No one wanted the season to be over. No one wanted to take their uniform off for the final time. Players consoled each other with hugs before coming together for a meeting with their coaches.
“Although losing was not the outcome we had hoped for, we battled every minute of that entire game,” said Cassell, one of the team’s talented seniors. “I have never seen so much heart, sweat and tears go into a game until today. This incredible team worked so hard all year despite obstacles. I’m so proud to have been a part of it. Today was just the beginning of what lies ahead for the younger players on this team. I’ll never forget this season!”
Huntington’s coaches told their players they have every reason to be proud of everything they accomplished this year, despite losing several starters to injuries. “You went down fighting today; you went down giving it your all,” Scully said.
Forte and Kayleigh Bender both spoke for their underclassmen teammates and thanked the team’s seniors “for setting such a great example for us. For being incredible leaders and role models. You will be missed so much next year.”
There were more tears before Scully asked everyone to come together for a group hug. Players then picked up their gear and strode off the field toward their families and friends to thank their fans for a season’s worth of encouragement and support.