Allie Krumholz, Miller Place field hockey make some noise with second straight Class B title
From left, Miller Place captains Megan Gonzalez, Maggie Revera and Paige DiGiglio hold up the hardware after their victory over Sayville in the Class B final. (Oct. 31, 2013) Credit: Joseph D. Sullivan
The medley of noises heard in Miller Place Thursday night -- screaming motorists and honking horns coming from a long convoy of cars -- wasn't a sign of rampant road rage. That was the field hockey team.
"It's become our tradition," senior Cassidy Frey said. "We're gonna go home, fill up the tanks and go honking!"
It started in the 1990s and has resurfaced with the Panthers' resurgence. It's the team's way of celebrating a championship.
Well, beep-beep!
Allie Krumholz scored twice to lead Miller Place in a 3-0 win over Sayville Thursday, capturing a second straight Suffolk Class B title.
"We go crazy and rowdy up the town," Krumholz said. "People probably have no idea what's going on, but hopefully they'll know once they see the banners."
Miller Place will look to defend its Long Island title against the Nassau Class B champ on Wednesday at Dowling.
But the top-seeded Panthers (16-1) didn't take long to make noise Thursday, as Ally Hutzler's early goal got the team and its fans in a frenzy. The forward scored on a putback to give Miller Place a 1-0 lead with 17:44 left in the first half.
Krumholz got loud before her first goal -- literally.
The senior wove through the defense and got open near the left wing, "then I started screaming, 'Lys! Lys!' "
Alyssa Parrella spotted her, sent a cross pass, and Krumholz fired into the back of the cage 2:18 before halftime.
"Allie had that spark today and you could tell she was fired up," said coach Alana LaMorte, who, along with junior Paige DiGiglio, were treated to early birthday gifts with this win.
Krumholz made it 3-0 with 12:53 left. And with Miller Place's lockdown defense, that lead was insurmountable.
"Having Danielle [Powers] back there is a huge factor for us," defender Kristin Roberto said of her sweeper. "Having the confidence to know she can erase any mistake allows us to just fly at everything, use our speed and be aggressive."
Roberto and Nicole McAdams helped clear six penalty corners and Carly Olsen had three saves as the Panthers beat No. 2 Sayville (11-5) for the third time this season. Annah Murphy made eight saves for the Golden Flashes.
"The honking was something the team captains came up with back then," said LaMorte, who starred during the Panthers' late 90s dynasty. "It's just a way of letting the town know what they've got: a champion."
And, Thursday night, temporary noise pollution.
