Westhampton's magical girls lacrosse season ends in state semifinal
Westhampton players console each other after their loss to Queensbury in a state Class B semifinal at SUNY-Cortland on Friday, June 10, 2022. Credit: Adrian Kraus
CORTLAND N.Y. — As it has done all postseason, Westhampton’s girls lacrosse team came from behind to force overtime in the state Class B semifinals.
But the Hurricanes’ incredible run came to an end Friday at SUNY-Cortland with a 9-8 loss to Queensbury.
Westhampton had won three straight postseason games in overtime to earn its first appearance in the state semifinals.
“It’s hard not to be disappointed after a loss, but I just asked them if 12 weeks ago they thought we would be here and they all said no,” coach Mary Bergmann said. “Their goal at the start of the year was to make it further than they did last year. They did that and much more.”
Westhampton trailed 7-4 with 12:13 left in regulation before Lily Berchin and Reilly Mahon each scored to make it a one-goal game with 8:04 remaining. After Brigid Duffy scored for Queensbury, Mahon scored another and Ava Derby scored 29 seconds later off an assist from Olivia Rongo to tie the score at 8 with five minutes remaining.
With 1:39 left in overtime, Kady Duffy scored her fifth goal of the game on a free-position shot to send Queensbury (17-0) to the final round against Victor at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday.
“We’ve gotten into a bad habit of trying to come from behind to win,” said Rongo, who had two goals and two assists. “I think our luck just ran out today.”
Trailing 4-0 after 10 minutes, Rongo did her best to will her team back into it with two straight goals on free-position shots before assisting Reese King on a behind-the-back goal at the start of the second half.
Despite ending their season with an overtime loss, the Hurricanes held their heads high. Westhampton (13-7) won its first Suffolk and Long Island championships in school history. The team understands the significance of those accomplishments.
“Making history so many times for our school with this team has been amazing,” Rongo said. “I’m so glad I got to do it with these people and I don’t think we could have done it with anyone else.”
“I told them that there are little kids in Westhampton that look up to this team,” Bergmann added. “They’ll always be known as the first county champions and the first Long Island champions for our school.”
