Emi and Luna Coronel connect for lone goal in Carle Place field hockey's win over Cold Spring Harbor
Emi Coronel of Carle Place, center, gets congratulated by teammate Reese Aguilar, left, and Samantha O'Connell after scoring a goal against Cold Spring Harbor with 4:44 remaining in the fourth quarter to break a scoreless tie in a Nassau field hockey game at Cold Spring Harbor on Thursday. Credit: James Escher
There are no two players on the Carle Place field hockey team who know each other better than Emi and Luna Coronel.
Their sisterly bond made all the difference with five minutes left in Thursday’s Nassau Conference I contest against host Cold Spring Harbor. It was then that Luna, a senior, found Emi, a sophomore, on a penalty corner for the lone goal in the Frogs’ 1-0 win.
“They’re both incredible players for us,” assistant coach Lauren Nagy said. “Having them both on the field together, it’s so easy to see their connection.”
Carle Place (7-1) couldn’t quite seem to execute in the first three quarters, despite having plenty of shot attempts.
“Everyone was getting a little flustered,” Luna said. “It took us a little bit to get our feet and be comfortable in the game and play how we usually play.”
The Frogs had eight penalty corner attempts, but it wasn’t until the seventh that they found the elusive success
they’d been looking for.
The corners all followed a similar script: Luna would pass the ball into play and look for Emi, who would then hit the ball as hard as she could toward the goal. Finally, it went straight through the goalie’s legs into the bottom right corner of the net.
“It was definitely stressful because we knew there wasn’t that much time left and we weren’t playing our best,” Emi said. “Having my sister on the team, she knows how I play and knows exactly where to place the ball. I’m just glad we were able to get it done.”
“I mean, we practice stuff like this all the time,” Luna said. “So, it was really easy for me to find her.”
The Frogs are coming off a strong week. They defeated both Manhasset and Garden City last week, two teams that they lost to last season. Head Coach Elisse Frein said that Thursday’s close game serves as a reminder for them to not to get complacent.
“Every time we play Cold Spring Harbor, they give us a run for our money,” Frein said. “Going from how we played last week to this, I think we’re going to take a lot of growing points from this game and continue to work on it for the rest of the season.”
Louisa Melendez made eight saves for Cold Spring Harbor (3-5).
The Frogs have made it to the state finals in each of the last two seasons, but haven’t been able to return home with a championship. Emi hopes that, for Luna’s final season, they’ll be able to make it happen.
“We came so close last year,” Emi said. “If we just work on the little things and keep our energy up, I think we can get it done.”