Massapequa wins third consecutive state girls soccer championship
It seemed that hope was lost.
But in a 48-second span, hope was restored. And Hope Breslin was revitalized.
Mikayla Pugliese scored the equalizer and Breslin knocked in the winner Sunday as Massapequa captured a third straight state girls soccer championship with a 3-1 win over Baldwinsville in the Class AA final at SUNY Cortland.
"It's amazing to win three in a row," Breslin said. "We knew we just had to regroup and play our game."
And hope that she and her teammates would do what they did the previous two years: walk off the field triumphantly on the season's final day.
Massapequa was out of sorts in the first half, struggling to generate offense, until Pugliese struck. The senior's header off a corner kick with 19:57 remaining tied the score at 1. "We needed something to get us going," Pugliese said. "I was like, 'It's our game now.' "
Breslin then regained the form that helped her finish the season with 29 goals. She settled the ball off a deflected shot, dribbled and fired a strike that hit the crossbar and dropped in with 19:09 left.
Breslin sealed the win with a header off a corner kick by Julia Hannon with just under two minutes remaining. The goal ignited chants of "Three-peat! Three-peat!" from the crowd. Defenders Bianca Furci, Melanie Hingher and Skylar Vitiello and goalkeeper Rebecca White -- who, along with Breslin, were on all three title teams -- then walked off the field one last time, medals around their necks.
"I started to cry a little knowing this was my last game as a Chief," Hingher said. "But I'm so happy that this was how it ended."
Added Furci: "Each year just got better and better."
Massapequa (19-1-1) became only the fourth Long Island girls soccer program to win three consecutive state titles, joining South Side, Cold Spring Harbor and St. Anthony's. With that kind of history on the line, even when they were down, the Chiefs never lost hope.
"We always persevere," said Vitiello, who stopped a breakaway with two minutes remaining.
"We had to walk out as winners," added White, who made 10 saves. "Doesn't get any better than walking out as three-time state champions."
