Ward Melville field hockey ousted in semis
SYRACUSE - If your all was given, Abby Beltrani said, there should be no room for regret. If that's the case, the broken hearts should mend before long.
Ward Melville did play hard and the effort was there; they were simply outplayed by Williamsville North in a 1-0 overtime loss in the state Class A semifinals.
"It's tough, especially in OT," Patriots coach Shannon Watson said, "but they need not hang their heads. They made it up here, and that's a feat in itself."
It's one the Patriots (18-2) have accomplished four straight years. They were eliminated in the state semifinals in 2007 by Williamsville North and avenged that loss in the 2008 final. But the defending champion Spartans took the rubber game Friday night.
On a penalty corner, Nikki Atkins crossed a short pass to Emily Woods, who put it inside the far post from 5 feet to the right of the cage with 7:32 left. Williamsville North will face Mamaroneck at 2 p.m. Saturday in the final.
"It's disappointing," Beltrani said. "We left it all out there, but we couldn't get the job done."
The teams played evenly in the first half, even posting identical stat lines: three shots on goal, three saves and three penalty corners. The Spartans owned the second half, though, seldom allowing Ward Melville long possessions or scoring opportunities. Williamsville North controlled the ball and spent the bulk of the final 30 minutes in Patriots territory.
In fact, the Spartans missed several open shots, including three that slid just wide of the post. At one point, coach Kristine Lapaglia joked that Ward Melville had plexiglass surrounding the goal.
"They really pressured us on defense," Watson said, "but our girls played a composed, steady game."
It's what kept the score tied until the extra session, along with Lauren Tarantino's six saves and Emma Holland's stop of a would-be empty-net goal.
Ward Melville will graduate 11 seniors, among them standouts Callie Vitalo and Sam Jacobson and Beltrani, its top scorer. But for the returning players, junior Kim Geiger said, next season began Friday night.
"We have to get back up here and do it right," the forward said, promising a return to the state tournament. "I'm going to take this game and remember it, and it's going to push me. This anger will be channeled into next year."
