Suffolk Field Hockey: Can Sachem East top Ward Melville?

Ward Melville marched to its third straight Long Island Class A championship relatively unimpeded, suffering its only league loss to Smithtown East in the regular-season finale.

Along the way, the Patriots took a step toward claiming Island supremacy, topping Garden City, 1-0, in a non-league matchup last year. The Patriots, however, were dethroned as state champs, falling in the state semifinals on a last-minute goal. This season, heavy competition is expected to come from Sachem East, which is ranked No. 2 in the Suffolk preseason poll after reaching the quarterfinals last season.

In Nassau, the three-way struggle atop Class A is like an annual game of "rock-paper-scissor" between Massapequa, Baldwin and East Meadow: one beats the other which beats the other. Last season was Massapequa's turn as they captured their second county title since 2007. The Chiefs did, however, graduate 11 and dropped from League I to II this year.

"It's not all about the championship," said coach Barbara Lowell, who expects somewhat of a shift from clampdown defense to up-tempo offense with this inexperienced group. "Our focus is getting the new girls to jell early on . . . Once we get into October, if we've gotten going, then we can look ahead."