Sachem East tops Massapequa in Long Island Class A field hockey championship

If senior Addison Romanowski had her way, there would be a movie coming out about Sachem East field hockey.

“Basically, we’re the underdogs,” Romanowski said. “We did what we had to do.”

“Everyone needs an Addison,” coach Tina Moon added.

As for casting a main character there’s an easy choice in senior captain Kayla Richter, whose goal led Sachem East to a 1-0 win over Massapequa Sunday afternoon at Berner Middle School for its first Long Island Class A title since 2019.

“People for the last five years have counted us out, and we’ve always been right there,” Moon said. “This was the niche, this year.”

Richter scored with 9:54 left in the third quarter following the team’s fourth penalty corner when the ball eventually found its way in front of the senior.

“Coach Moon says, ‘Be ready at all times, be ready for anything,’ ” Richter said. “I just kept my head down and shot the ball how I always shoot the ball.”

Massapequa senior goalie Madison Tucholski starred with eight saves, but the team’s offense struggled. Any time Massapequa had the ball, it would get swarmed by Sachem East attackers Kacey Berger, Alexa Marchese and Brooke Wasson. And if they played it forward, 90% of the time the possession would end in the midfield via a turnover.

Combined with a Sachem East midfield moving in tandem between Romanowski, Richter and Isabella Sharp-Senior, Massapequa (12-4) had just two penalty corners and one shot on goal.

“Communication is the biggest part of it, and that’s something we’ve been holding each other accountable for all season,” Richter said. “You work harder to make the person next to you better.”

It’s part of why Sachem East has allowed just one goal all season, on Sept. 20 against Ward Melville. Romanowski said the team’s mantra through the offseason and the fall was “togetherness,” something that showed in the result.

It may seem odd to call an 18-0 Sachem East team underdogs, but the team succeeded despite its relative lack of experience. Of the 31 players on Sachem East’s roster, 15 are underclassmen and only seven are seniors. It also hadn’t won a county title since its last Long Island championship win in 2019.

“I think we had big shoes to fill,” Richter said. “We knew we wouldn’t get as far as we could if one person did everything.”

Yet here is Sachem East, with its players taking turns strumming the Class A Long Island-shaped plaque like a guitar as the stars of their own show. Sachem East will swap movie tickets for bus tickets as it heads up to Arlington High School for the state semifinal against Section II’s Guilderland at 1 p.m. Saturday.

“[I want people to know] that we deserve to be here, that we worked hard to be here,” Richter said. “And we’re going to win.”