Perfection! Northport completes dream season with state title
Northport players celebrate after defeating Shenendowa in the NYSPHSAA Class A field hockey final on Sunday at Centereach. Credit: George A Faella
It has been quite the ride for the Northport field hockey team this season, and speaking of rides, the Tigers had to figure out how they would get one to Centereach High School on Sunday after their team bus failed to show up.
"We were all at the school [Northport] waiting and waiting," midfielder Sophia Bica said. "I got nervous for a second, but eventually our parents came back to the school to pick us up, drove us to the field and thankfully we still had enough time to warm up when we got there."
The transportation issue did not hamper Northport's drive on the field, and with five minutes remaining in the first quarter, Shannon Smith delivered a beautiful backward pass to Olivia McKenna off a corner. McKenna backhanded a shot into the corner of the goal in a 1-0 victory over Section II’s Shenendehowa in the Class A state final.
The back-to-back Long Island Class A champions captured their first state title in program history and concluded their season with a perfect 21-0 record. Shenendehowa finished 16-3.
McKenna scored her seventh goal of the playoffs and recorded at least one goal in each of Northport’s six postseason matches. She finished her junior season with 21 goals and 22 assists.
"Watching her grow since she was in eighth grade has been phenomenal," Northport coach Gina Walling said. "When you give her space to shoot, she gets it done. In fact, all the players have another level when it comes to the postseason. Just when you think they can’t go any higher, they do."
Olivia’s twin sister, Natalie, totaled five saves and recorded her 18th shutout of the season.
Olivia said of Natalie, "She is my practice buddy and is one of the best goalies that I have ever seen. I have so much trust in her and know that she’ll be able to stop almost any shot that comes at her. For me it is all about preparation. As a team we all prepare so well, and it gets us ready for these big games."
The Tigers outscored their opponents 109-6 over the course of the season, including 26-0 in the postseason.
"We said we were ‘not done yet’ because we knew we had more to do," Bica said. "We picked up right where we left off from last season and finished the job today."
Walling added: "They wanted to experience this moment from the day they stepped on the field in the spring. In the middle of the championship celebration, I told them, ‘You’re done, you’re done. You did it.’ "
