Blue Devils Win on Morgan’s Message Day

The Huntington girls’ lacrosse team held a Morgan’s Message themed day, with shirts and pre-game messages stressing the importance of being aware of mental health related issues and reaching out for support before situations become serious.

With varsity and JV players and coaches decked out in blue Morgan’s Message shirts, Huntington senior Reese Rinaldi and head coach Katie Reilly both addressed the Blue Devil and visiting Longwood teams and fans.

The Blue Devils dedicated the game to the life and legacy of Morgan Rodgers, a former Duke University lacrosse student-athlete who died by suicide in July 2019 after sustaining a “dream shattering” knee injury that sent the 22 year old into an emotional tailspin.

“Morgan’s Message was created by her family and former teammates with the mission of eliminating the stigma surrounding mental health and to ensure that mental health is treated equally to physical health for all student-athletes,” Rinaldi said.

Following the pre-game ceremony, Huntington and Longwood battled it out with the Blue Devils emerging with an 8-7 victory to improve their record to 9-6 overall.

Kayleigh Bender (35 goals; 14 assists) scored three goals to lead Huntington. Sabrina Boyle (35g; 12a) tallied two goals and an assist and Jolie Weinschreider (26g; 5a) also scored twice. Jenna Italiano (9g; 1a) also notched a goal in the game. Grace Gordon (18g; 14a) picked up two assists. Bridget Callery (12g; 13a) also had an assist. Leighton Evans caused three turnovers. Goalies Juliet Johnson and Andie DiGioia combined to make three saves.

The Blue Devils play their final regular season game today at Brentwood at 5:15 p.m. Playoff brackets are expected to be released on Friday morning.