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November 24, 2009 | 03:31 PM
The Ward Melville (18-2) field hockey team was dismissed from the New York State Class A semifinals on Nov. 20 in Vestal by the Mamaroneck Tigers of Section I, who won 2-1. Champions of both Suffolk County and Long Island, the Patriots were defending the state crown they won last year.
The Patriots beat Mamaroneck last year 1-0 on the way to their 2008 title. In this year's semifinals the Patriots enjoyed a remarkable 17-3 advantage in penalty corners but were unable to capitalize against Mamaroneck's strong defense and goalkeeper.
Mamaroneck scored the game's first goal at 14:28 of the first half. Ward Melville's Yale-bound senior midfielder Georgia Holland tied the game for the Patriots at 4:42 off a corner by junior middie Abby Beltrani. Jillian Richards scored the game-winner for the Tigers with just under two minutes to play in regulation, sending home a rebound for the 2-1 win.
The loss in the final four ends a remarkable run for Patriot seniors Liz Byrne, Holland, Ashley Karpeh, Sabrina Pryor, Emily Richey, Heather Spagnoli and Jen Walsh. Their career-long efforts have left a lot of shiny new hardware in the Ward Melville trophy case.
"It was beyond imaginable," said Patriot head coach Shannon Watson. "That was one of the greatest runs. I know it didn't have a picture-book ending, but we enjoyed a season no one thought possible. It was worth every step of it, a season to remember.
"Our seven seniors were exceptional," Watson continued. "Not in just in skill but in their character and leadership. It will be a huge loss not to have them next year. The girls brought their sticks to school today and went out and practiced a while, anyway. They weren't ready for it to be over."
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