Raso leads Farmingdale to second straight state title

CORTLAND, N.Y. - Melanie Raso started the celebratory dousing of the coach with a dinky half-pint water bottle. Her 31 teammates finished the job when they attacked Shari Campbell moments later with water, Gatorade and anything else they could get their hands on.

The second time always seems bigger and better than the first for Farmingdale.

The Dalers (15-4) won their second straight state Class A title Saturday morning at SUNY Cortland, 6-5, over Lakeland/Panas in the final.

The six goals were Farmingdale's lowest scoring output since tallying four in the 2007 state final. The Dalers didn't get on the board until Maegan Meritz's first of two goals 22:30 into the game, and didn't take their first lead until Jamie Leone scored off an assist from Raso with 13:27 remaining in the game to make it 5-4.

It wasn't a perfect season like last year, but the Dalers said the result was even sweeter this time around.

"It was a long, tiring season for everyone, because we questioned ourselves," Campbell said. "Everyone did."

Lakeland/Panas goalie Alex Fitzpatrick played a big role in the limited offense Saturday, as the two-time All-American made 12 saves and was named the tournament MVP.

SEE PHOTOSFarmingdale 6, Lakeland/Panas 5

"She's an amazing goalie," Raso said. "We were just not picking our shots right. We were trying to doink it around her instead of firing it in."

Raso found the antidote for Fitzpatrick late in the game. She scored on a bounce shot with 21:39 to play and again on a feed from Kelly McPartland with 18:22 left to tie it at 3 and again at 4.

"We just had to wait for our timing and stop forcing," Raso said. "We just had to do what we do best - score goals."

Said Leone: "I was panicking because I thought they had it in the bag for a second, but our coaches said if we get up by two, the game was ours. And we did it."

SEE PHOTOSHigh school sports -- June

After the game, the Farmingdale players presented each Lakeland/Panas participant with a flower in remembrance of Elizabeth Lynch-Gonzalez, a former Lakeland/Panas player who graduated last year and committed suicide just days before the state tournament.

"Our coaches made us aware of the situation and we feel really bad," Leone said. "It's a sad situation."

On the defensive end for Farmingdale, Alex Gurecki made just four saves, but they were crucial in such a tight game. The irony wasn't lost on the players that Gurecki, a question mark before the season filling in for star Lauren Maksym (who was in attendance), was one of the team's bed-rocks in its biggest game of the year.

"Our defense was hurting - really bad," Leone said. "And we were worried about our goalie, but Alex Gurecki is amazing now."

After McPartland scooped up a ground ball with 1:02 to play and Raso capped it with a stick check to force a turnover with four seconds left, the Farmingdale sideline was bursting with joy.

"It's unbelievable, I have no words to describe it," Raso said about finishing her high school career with back-to-back state titles. "It's been an amazing year."