Tornadoes fall in season finale





	Kelsey Margey (No. 4) and Bridget Greene (No. 1) attempt to stop Mount Sinai’s Erin Fitzgerald from scoring. Photo by Dennis Whittam (click for larger version)

May 21, 2009 | 02:52 PM
Erin Fitzgerald scored seven times and added three assists while Rachel Dillon tallied six goals as the Mount Sinai Mustangs overpowered visiting Harborfields, 23-12, in a season finale game for both teams on May 18. With the win the Mustangs conclude the season with a 10-4 Division II record, 11-6 overall while the Tornadoes fell to 5-9, 7-10 overall.

In addition to Fitzgerald and Dillon, five other Mustangs notched goals, including hat tricks by Alyssa Bohler and Shannon Burns. Emily Williams paced the Harborfields with five goals.

"I thought the team played great," said Fitzgerald, who now has 93 goals on the season. "We attacked and moved the ball well. We came out soft and we had to step it up, but I think the team was awesome."

Fitzgerald was referring to the 3-1 lead the Mustangs squandered in the first half, falling behind the Tornadoes 4-3 at 14:51. However, head coach Dawn Shackles said she wasn't concerned. "I was confident," Shackles said. "I knew the girls could handle it. The game was well in hand."

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Fitzgerald pulled the Mustangs even at 4-4 with a goal at 14:04 and put them in front for good 12 seconds later. The Mustangs also missed several opportunities as four of their shots clanged off the Tornadoes goal post. Meanwhile, Mount Sinai goalie Julie Bernatzky was needed to turn away four Harborfields free position shots.

Fitzgerald's two straight scores were part of a 6-0 run by the Mustangs that turned a one goal deficit into a five-goal, 9-4 lead. Hannah McLaughlin broke the string with a free position goal at 5:35. But Mount Sinai refused to allow the Tornadoes to gain any momentum. They scored the next four goals to take a 13-5 lead and went into the half with a seven goal lead at 13-6.

Mount Sinai continued to dominate in the second half. They opened with four consecutive goals within the first 5:28, capitalizing on a Harborfields penalty to Ali Roche to take a commanding 17-6 lead. Although they allowed six goals over the final 17 minutes of play, the Mustangs were never really threatened. They closed strong as Faulkner scored with 32 seconds on the clock and Dillon scored too, as time expired to give Mount Sinai a 23-12 victory.

"I am very proud of this team," Shackles said. "They played really well. This was the culmination of a great season."

"They're a good team with a couple of strong players," said Harborfields head coach Kathleen Taylor. "We didn't possess the ball well and we should have worked more plays. We also didn't get off enough shots."

The Mustangs are the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Suffolk County Class C playoffs behind Shoreham-Wading River and play Bayport-Blue Point in the opening round for Class C on May 30.

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