Elissa Frein nets pair to put Carle Place in 'C' final

Elissa Frein has scored a lot of goals this year, but all she could say after her 49th was: "Oh my gosh. It's so exciting."

That's because it gave Carle Place a 2-1 field hockey win over East Rochester just 49 seconds into overtime of a Class C state semifinal Saturday.

Sophia Urrutia took the ball down the right side after gaining possession near midfield and crossed a pass to Frein in the middle of the circle. The forward sent her shot toward the right post and East Rochester's goalie dove. For a moment, no one could see the ball.

Then it crawled into the cage. "I didn't even see it go in," Frein said.

East Rochester's Aubrey Finn tied it at 1 with 3:43 left in regulation. Carle Place goalie Lydia Rice made a pair of clutch saves in the waning seconds to keep the game tied.

Frein put the Frogs ahead 1-0 10 minutes into the game.

A Bomber left early on a Carle Place penalty corner, granting the Frogs another chance with just three defenders charging out of the cage. Kailee Pagnotta received the ball on the right side of the circle and crossed it to Frein, who drilled her 48th goal of the season.

SEE PHOTOSCarle Place vs. East Rochester

East Rochester did not put a shot on goal in the first half, as the Carle Place defense squashed the few opportunities the Bombers manufactured. East Rochester had its best chances late in the half.

With one minute left, Sabrina Anderson raced down the left side with the ball. Carle Place's Natalie Laino deflected her cross back to Anderson, who tried again but nailed Laino in the chest. Thirty seconds later, Brianna McKeough cleared a ball out of the circle, and Carle Place maintained possession for the rest of the half.

The defense stepped up again when East Rochester earned a pair of penalty corners midway through the second half. Rice made her first save on the first one, and Lauren Nagy deflected a shot attempt off the rebound. Shannon McGuinness stalled an East Rochester forward on the second attempt 30 seconds later, forcing a shot that went wide left, untouched.

Seasonlong offensive production from Frein, McGuinness and Urrutia has overshadowed Carle Place's defense all year, but the Frogs have shown marked improvement in front of All-Long Island goaltender Rice, who has needed to save just 92 shots this year compared with 177 in 2013.

She made 10 saves against East Rochester, all in the second half. The Bombers did push one past her, but that did not alter Frein's perception of Carle Place's goalie.

"Lydia is an amazing goalie," Frein said. "She's been working so hard this season. She's amazing."

Carle Place will face Whitney Point Sunday at 3 p.m. The Frogs last won a state championship in 1990, capping an eight-year stretch in which they captured six titles.

"We just have a clear vision of what we want to do," Frein said. "We're going to give it all we have."