Valentina Puccio the Hero as Huntington Advances to County Title Game

Valentina Puccio played the part of hero so well on Wednesday afternoon. The junior scored in sudden death overtime to break a 5-5 tie and send the Huntington girls’ lacrosse team past visiting Northport and into the Suffolk finals against Ward Melville on Saturday. The Blue Devils will play for the county title at 11:30 a.m. at Smithtown West.

Huntington (16-2) erupted for five early goals only to watch Northport (13-5) slowly chip away at the lead, one goal at a time before the Tigers finally knotted the score, 5-5 late in the fourth period. The final minutes of regulation played out in tense fashion with both teams having scoring opportunities but neither being able to convert any to a goal.

A loud crowd of about 750 packed the grandstand. Huntington fans included dozens of youth players who repeatedly chanted encouragement when the game was on the line.

The Blue Devils and their freshman goalie Juliet Johnson faced down the pressure well, holding off Northport’s ferocious attack. Johnson made seven spectacular saves on blistering shots.

What was the key to the win? “Just constantly reminding ourselves how much we want and deserve this win,” senior Devon St. John said. “We worked so hard to get to this exact moment and we knew we couldn’t waste it. Playing together in the end was the key.”

Northport scored four unanswered second half goals as Huntington was shutout entirely during the third and fourth periods. But then came overtime and Puccio’s heroics. If the teenager was feeling the pressure that everyone else felt she wasn’t showing it as she lined up for the eight meter shot following a foul call on the Tigers.

Puccio’s first shot ended in another foul so she did it again and this time put the ball past Northport goalie Charlotte Cuneo, sending Huntington’s fans into delirium.

“As I lined up for both shots I was thinking I should fake the goalie and shoot off stick side, hip high,” Puccio said. “Thankfully I drew the foul for the first shot and got a better hash for the second shot. We are such  a great team that has so many weapons. I am just grateful to be part of such a great team. Our defense played really good today and carried the team.”

The Blue Devils are riding a wave and looking to make history. “We have the opportunity to do something that hasn’t been done in three decades,” senior Sabrina Boyle said. “We play for each other, our coaches and our town and we are ready to do everything possible to bring home that plaque. It’s important we focus on one game at a time and trust our teammates. The chemistry and relationships our team has is unmatched. That is what has brought us this far and will get us even further.”

The game was unusually low scoring. Puccio (31 goals; 10 assists) and Boyle (44g; 14a) both scored a pair of goals. Junior Jolie Weinschreider (41g; 17a) had a goal and an assist. Senior Jenna Italiano (8g; 5a) also scored in the game.

“Our mindset made the difference today,” Weinschreider said. “We knew we were not losing that game. Whatever it takes. We played as one at the end and throughout the whole game. We stayed composed.”

Head coach Katie Reilly preaches “the team; the team; the team.” Every player on the field is important, if not vital. No one player is any more important than the person next to them. The Blue Devils have bought into it and used it to reach the Suffolk championship game.