Marisa Terrone, Mia Babino goals lift Carle Place field hockey to Long Island Class C crown
Mia Babino of Carle Place gets hugs from her teammates after scoring the timing goal during the Long Island Class C field hockey final between Carle Place and Pierson in Massapequa on Wednesday, November 2, 2022. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
Marisa Terrone’s goal was the key to a Long Island field hockey championship crown.
Terrone knew she would have the opportunity to give Carle Place a lead, and her perfect execution of the shot did just that.
“I couldn’t pass up the chance to score,” Terrone said. “I knew that it could’ve ended up being the go-ahead goal, and it was.”
Olivia Docyk positioned herself high inside the circle before slotting the ball to Terrone, who launched it past the keeper’s stick five minutes into the second half to lift Carle Place to a 2-1 victory Wednesday over Pierson in the Long Island Class C championships at Massapequa’s Berner Middle School.
The two teams vied for the title for the eighth consecutive season, with Carle Place victorious for six of the previous matchups.
Carle Place (11-5) will face Section IX champion Rondout Valley on Sunday in the New York State Class C regional championship.
A speedy faceoff return by senior midfielder Meredith Spolarich paved the way for Pierson’s only goal. A swarm of players in the circle left Spolarich undetected by Carle Place goalkeeper Megan Rice. Spolarich tapped the rolling ball deep into the goal for a 1-0 score halfway through the first quarter.
But Pierson’s lead in the first quarter didn’t rattle the Frogs, who fell to Pierson in the championships last season, 3-0.
“They started off playing with nerves because of last year’s loss,” Carle Place coach Elissa Frein said. “I reminded them of how hard they’ve worked to get to this point and from there, they were confident.”
With 10 minutes remaining in the half, senior forward Mia Babino took advantage of a loose ball deflected by Pierson goalkeeper Cali Wilson. She grounded her stick and fired the ball past a leaping Wilson to tie the score, 1-1.
“After my goal, it just lit a fire in all of us,” Babino said.
Wilson made six saves for Pierson, including two fierce efforts in the final quarter that stymied Docyk and Babino’s attempts to increase the lead. In a desperate attempt to tie the score for the Whalers, Spolarich netted a disallowed goal with one minute remaining in regulation that was scored from outside of the circle. The Whalers finish with a 7-8 record.
“We are a team that comes back,” Babino said. “We all play to our strengths as a cohesive unit and that’s what makes us strong.”
