Pierson wins seventh straight Class C field hockey crown
Pierson celebrates after winning the Suffolk Class C field hockey final against Greenport on Monday at Centereach. Credit: Bob Sorensen
The Pierson field hockey team is the class of Class C in Suffolk.
The top-seeded Whalers captured their seventh consecutive county title and second in the last seven months with a 4-0 victory over No. 2 Greenport Monday night at Centereach High School.
Madison Stuckart scored two goals and Meredith Spolarich added a goal and two assists. Mia Gangemi assisted on Spolarich’s goal in the first quarter off an offensive corner, and Caroline Canavan scored in the third quarter for the final margin.
"We have definitely been able to bond more as a team this season," said Spolarich, who leads the Whalers with eight goals and six assists. "It was tough last year trying to connect with some of the younger, up-and-coming girls because of all the Covid restrictions. We weren’t able to spend a lot of time together off the field."
Pierson (6-9) will face the winner of Tuesday’s Nassau C final between Carle Place and Cold Spring Harbor at noon on Sunday at Centereach in the Long Island C final. Greenport finished its season with a 3-12 record.
The Whalers fell to Carle Place, 2-1, in the Long Island championship back in April during the Covid-altered spring season.
"We have grown tremendously in our passing game and are doing a much better job of moving around the field when we don’t have the ball on our stick," Spolarich said. "I think that if we are able to communicate well and pass the ball consistently, it will be a different game than last year."
"I have been playing alongside Meredith since she was in eighth grade and being able to win together and grow together has been the coolest thing," Stuckart said. "If we just keep it simple on Sunday and not do anything too flashy or too crazy, we should be fine."