Bagley, Doherty lead Sachem East's win

Some losses are good, Sachem East midfielder Katie Trombetta insisted. Perhaps a chink in the armor removes the air of invincibility and serves as a reminder that anyone can fall.

That figurative armor was East's once unblemished field hockey record. The crack came earlier this week when the Flaming Arrows' 14-game win streak was snapped.

"We were getting too comfortable and that loss definitely woke us up," Trombetta said. "It shook us up and showed us that we need to keep striving to get better."

It was Northport, a Suffolk Division I rival, that had the misfortune of drawing East after said awakening. And with a 6-1 win at home Wednesday night in the regular-season finale, the Flaming Arrows, in Trombetta's words, "showed everyone that we're still No. 1."

Kristen Bagley scored two goals and Katie Doherty had a goal and an assist to lead Sachem East (15-1, 11-1), and its swarming defense limited Northport's opportunities. Samantha Alvino and Jordan Miller each made a save in the win.

"They were definitely hungry tonight," Flaming Arrows coach Tina Moon said, after her team rebounded from Monday's 3-1 loss to Smithtown East. "It's exciting to end the [regular] season in this manner."

Doherty put East on the board 9:59 in, and Karyn Ryan scored 1:27 later. Bagley, off a feed from Jessica Caruana, made it 3-0 with 13:51 remaining in the first half.

SEE PHOTOSSachem East 6, Northport 1

"We had a big crowd here and we were excited," Bagley said. "We came out fired up and getting a big lead early was huge."

Northport's Lexi Richards scored, but Bagley struck again 1:50 before halftime. Trombetta and Nikki Healy each added a goal in the second half for East.

Gabby Gallo made six saves for Northport (8-6), known for its excellent defense. The teams had met earlier this season and East won, 2-1.

The presence of Ward Melville and Smithtown East had created a glass ceiling in Suffolk Class A for the better part of a decade, but East -- eh-hem -- put a crack in it last season, taking Ward Melville to overtime in the county final. And now . . .

"If we do the things we're capable of," Trombetta said, "we're going really far."