Blue Devil Girls’ Soccer Wins on Senior Day

The Huntington girls’ soccer team closed out its season with a sensational 6-1 victory over Central Islip on Senior Day at Blue Devil Stadium.

Huntington faced some strong headwinds this season, ranging from an experimental one-year Section XI league alignment that required the Blue Devils to face a series of much larger schools than they traditionally would not have played until the post-season to serious injuries that kept two players off the field for the entire season and knocked several others out of multiple games.

Through it all, Huntington’s eight seniors never gave up hope and never retreated into self-pity. The seniors include Sana Amin, Hope Bilkey, Gianna Forte, Gabriella Miller, Soraya Ortega-Salgado, Jillian Panos, Neha Rathore and Brenda Salvador.

Against Central Islip, Bilkey capped off her fabulous career with a stunning performance that included two goals and two assists. Panos and Forte both scored goals. Freshman Jolie Weinschreider also scored. Sophomore Devon St. John picked up an assist as did junior goalie Reese Rinaldi, who added nine saves.

Once the game had ended, players, parents and family members gathered on the field. Coach John Walsh spoke about each senior and what they have meant to the program. There were lots of tears and hugs. The seniors were given bouquets of flowers and gift bags. They posed for photos with the coaches and family members.

Underclassmen created posters commemorating the career of each senior. The posters were plastered with photos and humorous quips and attached to the bleacher facade.

The seniors displayed a wide range of emotions, including tears. “Wearing a Blue Devil soccer uniform has meant everything to me,” Rathore said. “It’s my passion and the sport I will always love. Although I wasn’t able to play this season, nothing can take away the excitement and friendships I made being a Blue Devil athlete and the joy I found playing the game all these years.”

Once the speeches had ended, the underclassmen and seniors enjoyed a long, tight hug with each other on the field that seemed to go on and on.