Carle Place loses to Whitney Point in state Class C field hockey final
Carle Place midfielder Isabella Cunha clears the ball against Whitney Point in the New York State Class C field hockey championship on Sunday at Centereach. Credit: George A Faella
Reaching this point was another step in the right direction.
Carle Place lost to three-time defending state champion Whitney Point, 2-0, in the state Class C field hockey championship game at Centereach High School on Sunday.
Second-year coach Elissa Frein said the Frogs (15-5), who reached the state semifinals last year and successfully defended their Long Island Class C title this fall, took another important step this season.
“They improved each quarter, they left it all on the field, and as a coach, that’s all I can ask for, so I am beyond proud of them,” Frein said. “I’m so grateful. They were such a great group of girls. This is such a great group of seniors.”
Payton Martin scored in the first quarter and Cassidy Pado scored in the third for Whitney Point (19-0), which has won 58 consecutive games.
Carle Place had won 12 straight games dating to Oct. 3 before Sunday’s state championship game. The Frogs overcame an 0-2 start to the season and scored overtime goals to win the Nassau Class C title and advance in Saturday’s state semifinal.
“I think it shows how hard we work under pressure, and it shows how good of a team we really are,” one of Carle Place’s senior captains, Ava Henglein, said of the overtime playoff wins. “It just goes to show how hard the girls worked. They put their heart and soul into everything, and you can really see that.”
They showed that heart against Whitney Point. A point-blank save from Whitney Point’s Lauren Magill on Carle Place’s Paige Shelhorn nearly brought the Frogs within a goal after Whitney Point took a 2-0 lead.
Megan Rice, who earned All-Tournament honors alongside Emi Coronel, made 11 saves for Carle Place. The Frogs’ back line of Hadasah Roa and Samantha O’Connell swatted away passes and shots in front of Rice.
“Two brick walls all season. So consistent, so disciplined. They have really kept us in games,” Frein said of Roa and O’Connell. “[Whitney Point is] a disciplined team, and I told them they were beating teams 8-0 this season. So for us to even hold them to 2-0, that’s something that they should be proud of.”
After the game, Frein said after making the state semifinals last year and reaching the state final this year, the Frogs are on a path toward a state title next year.
“This team was so special to me. They worked so hard at practice, and in the games, it translates,” Henglein said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better season with them.”
