Caroline Lewkowicz's saves, Lily Moller's goal win it for Bayport-Blue Point field hockey
Bayport Blue Point's Caroline Lewkowicz (98) celebrates at the end of the shootout during the Suffolk High School field hockey game between East Islip and Bayport-Blue Point on Tuesday Oct 4 2022 at East Islip High School. Credit: Bob Sorensen
For most of the game the ball rarely made its way to goalie Caroline Lewkowicz, but with the game on the line, victory was in her hands.
Bayport-Blue Point earned a 1-0 victory over East Islip at Sal Ciampi field on Tuesday afternoon, after winning a shootout 7-5 in a Division II field hockey game. Lily Moller was credited with the winning goal after she scored the final goal of the shootout. Lewkowicz made three saves.
“My team cheering me on kind of helps me get over the mental block of thinking that it’s just me out there,” Lewkowicz said. “I felt so relieved when it was over, the weight just got lifted off of me,”
Lewkowicz stumbled in the first shootout series, allowing the first three players to score and ultimately four of the five. Her counterpart on East Islip allowed the same and set up a second series where Lewkowicz would shine.
After a talk with an assistant coach, she denied East Islip’s first two opportunities with relative ease and prevented the fourth, leaving the Phantoms in the driver’s seat.
“She told me to breath because I was definitely freaking out a little bit,” Lewkowicz said. “She told me to stay up more, I kept slipping, so I just tried to get more traction.”
Her denial of East Islip’s fourth attempt in the second shootout gave Moller the opportunity to seal the game. After the goalie committed a penalty, Moller was awarded a stroke, which she proceeded to put in and give the Phantoms the victory.
The Phantoms controlled the action for most of the game, keeping up their attack in the scoring zone and denying East Islip (7-4) the chance to attack. Their best scoring opportunity came on a penalty stroke with 9:12 to go in the third quarter, but goalie Cassie Dodenhoff sent the Phantoms away empty handed.
“East Islip’s defense did a great job of keeping their sticks down and stopping our opportunities,” coach Karen Gick said. “When we did have our opportunities, we weren’t finding the corner of the cage, but ultimately we got it done with a total team effort.”
With this win Bayport-Blue Point (8-2) earns their second win streak of at least three games this season.
“Every time we play EI it’s always a battle, we have a friendly rivalry,” Gick said. “It always competitive, it can be stressful, but it’s always fun.”
Christopher Matias covers high school sports for Newsday after spending time in Athletic Facilities and Operation at St. John’s and in Sports Information at CUNY York college.
