Meredith Spolarich's hat trick leads Pierson field hockey to Long Island Class C final
Pierson's Meredith Spolarich (11) takes a shot while covered by Greenport's Mae Dominy (25) in the second quarter during the Suffolk Class C Field Hockey Finals between Pierson and Greenport on Saturday Oct 29 2022 at Newfield High School. Credit: Bob Sorensen
The Pierson field hockey team was stymied throughout most of the first half by Greenport/Southold in the Suffolk Class C final on Saturday.
Goalie Dylan Reilly made save after save, but Meredith Spolarich was able to find an opening.
The senior midfielder refused to be denied in the final minutes of the first half as Reilly blocked consecutive shots before Spolarich could dig the ball out from under Reilly’s pads and slide it into the goal to open the scoring in Pierson’s 5-0 win at Newfield High School.
“We started off a little frazzled and were frustrated about not scoring,” Spolarich said. “We had a lot of shots, but weren’t finishing them.”
The top-seeded Whalers punched their eighth consecutive ticket to a Long Island championship.
Spolarich’s goal sparked Pierson, which scored four goals after halftime. She made it 2-0 early in the third quarter as her shot ricocheted off Reilly’s knee pads and into the goal. Just over three minutes later, defender Eva McKelvey scored off another loose ball for a 3-0 lead.
Midfielder Maddie Cohen then fed Spolarich near the post midway through the fourth quarter, who scored her third goal after collecting a loose ball near goal. Bella Eldridge netted the final goal with 30 seconds left to seal the win.
“For my last season, I wanted this win more than anything,” Spolarich said.
Reilly did all she could for Greenport (2-13), and finished with 35 saves.
“She held the goal down very strong for their team,” McKelvey said. “We knew going in that she jumps and dives a lot, so getting those rebounds was extremely important.”
Pierson will meet the winner of Sunday’s Nassau Class C final between Carle Place/Cold Spring Harbor in the Long Island Class C championship on Wednesday at 4 p.m. at Berner Middle School in Massapequa.
“We know what we need to improve on after this game for the Long Island championship,” McKelvey said. “There will be no nerves, just confidence.”
