Burdened by tragedy, Lydia Rice helps Carle Place nail down Class C crown
Carle Place celebrates after beating Southampton in the Long Island Class C championship on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2014, at Cold Spring Harbor High School. Credit: Bob Sorensen
During the postgame euphoria, as Carle Place celebrated with its fans, coach Carol Nesdill pulled goalie Lydia Rice aside and gave her the championship plaque. Nesdill, choked up, told the senior: "Take it home. This was for you."
Rice had found her grandmother dead in the family's home Sunday, just hours before the Frogs beat Southampton, 5-1, for the Long Island Class C field hockey title.
"I went into the back room to check on her around 12:45 [p.m.]," an emotional Rice said. "And she was gone."
Norma Veigl was 76, Rice said.
The team was to meet at 2 p.m. for the bus to its game at Cold Spring Harbor and Rice's parents, she said, urged her to join her teammates.
"It's what my grandma would've wanted," Rice said. "She was a huge supporter and she was looking forward to watching me play in college. I knew it would be difficult and I was hesitant, but I thought this was the best way to honor her."
Rice, an All-Long Island standout, made seven saves to help the Frogs capture their first Long Island championship since 2001. Elissa Frein scored three goals and Sophia Urrutia had two assists. Carle Place (16-1) will compete in the state semifinals Saturday at Maine-Endwell High School.
"Lyd is the most mentally tough person I know," teammate Shannon McGuinness said. "We were shocked when she told us what happened, but she said, 'I'm playing. I have to be there for you guys.' Going through what she is, we had to win this for her and her family."
Alex Ambrose made 16 saves for Southampton (9-8), which withstood heavy pressure in the first half. But Frein put Carle Place on the board 18 minutes before halftime and McGuinness scored five minutes into the second half. Chloe Schmidt pulled the Mariners within 2-1 with 16:33 left, but Frein scored twice more and Samantha Reed once.
With a dynamic offense and defensive contributions from Lauren Nagy, Brianna McKeough and Lauren Smith, the Frogs have outscored opponents 95-5.
Rice said she became saddened as her mind drifted at times during the game, "but I kept reminding myself to stay focused."
A highlight was her leaping swat of a scoop shot ticketed for the upper right corner with eight minutes left, for which she received a loud ovation.
"She's a born goalie and an amazing kid," Nesdill said. "But today, we also learned what kind of character she's got."
