Two halves of regulation were not enough, nor were the four overtime periods which ensued, but when Tottenville’s Ava LaGressa drilled a score into the back of New Dorp’s net to break a 5-5 tie during the fifth period of OT, a war was won in Huguenot on Thursday night.
A war of attrition in the PSAL semifinals between two of the city’s finest lacrosse programs, both of which just so happen to call Staten Island home.
While one New Dorp player cringed in pain on the sideline, likely due to the effects of cramping, and a Tottenville player had her hand bandaged up as blood dripped down her wrist -- their eyes, like those of every fan in attendance, remained fixated on the tension-filled action taking place under the lights of Tottenville’s Bruce Hansen Memorial Field.
But while smiles, jubilance, and beaming faces depicted the outcome for the Pirates, there were an equal number of heads hung low on the other side of the field as tears flowed freely out of the eyes of New Dorp players who hugged one another, some for the final time as teammates.
If there was any justice in the sports world, there would be no loser in this contest, but Tottenville, nevertheless, is heading to Sunday’s city title game at Aviator, where it will meet Fort Hamilton, which beat Curtis, 7-5, in the other semifinal Thursday evening.
The Tottenville sideline erupts after Ava LaGressa buries the game-winning goal.
THE BATTLE
Tottenville’s Jessica Calabria racked up a hat trick on Thursday, including the game’s first two goals, which came in the opening four minutes to give the Pirates an early 2-0 advantage.
ND’s Joanna Anikulapo, who drew the attention of the defense all night, put the Cougars on the board midway through the first half, though the excitement was short-lived after Brianna Curto quickly returned the favor for the Tots.
“[Anikulapo] gets the ball down field, she’s talented,” noted Tottenville assistant coach Jim Manning. “They have some talented girls and dependable scorers and they came out playing hard.”
Staked to what felt like a [somewhat] comfortable 3-1 advantage heading into the break, Tottenville didn’t even have time to blink before ND rallied for two quick scores, off the sticks of Hailey McHenry and Audrey Brumlik, to knot things up just three minutes into the second half.
After losing the possession battle in the first half, New Dorp seemed to find its mojo (and control of the ball).
Though that, too, was short-lived, as LaGressa buried the go-ahead score midway through (what we thought) was the final half -- 4-3 Tots.
Ten seconds later, Nicole Fanizzi evened things for the Cougars, and with under 10 minutes to play McHenry found Brumlik for the go-ahead, and potential game-winning goal -- New Dorp’s first lead of the contest through 41 minutes of game time.
Not to be outdone, Calabria cemented the hat trick, pouring in her third score, and the final score of regulation, with less than five minutes to play.
“We just needed to control the groundball game, [New Dorp] was very aggressive,” said Manning. “We needed to settle down, control the ball and control draws.”
Tottenville coach Megan Kane anxiously looks on with her team.
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE
In the words of LeBron James, “not one, not two, not three, not four...” overtimes were enough to determine a winner -- thanks to fantastic saves by both goalies, Tottenville’s Amanda Mavricos and ND’s Carol Montano, as well as a pair of stops by the Tottenville crossbar that nearly brought chaos to the stands.
“Home field advantage,” joked Manning of the crossbar saving his team’s season. “There was a full moon tonight, the lacrosse gods were smiling on us.”
Mavricos was phenomenal in the OTs, making a number of clutch stops with attackers on her door step, including a couple on free shots.
“Every save she made was a big one,” said Manning.
Along with Mavricos, the Pirates stout defensive effort in front of her helped keep New Dorp scoreless for all 14 minutes of OT.
Manning credited the “core of the defense”, which consists of Amanda Petrarchi, Nicole Vachakidze, and Curto.
Two minutes into the fifth OT, LaGressa calmly crossed into the slot, cocked her stick back, and fired a one-timer passed Montano -- instantaneously turning tension into jubilance on one side, while subsequently drumming up the emotions of an entire season coming to a close on the other.
“Ava’s been working as hard as she can during her senior year and she made it happen today,” said Manning. “We didn’t have any studs, just a bunch of girls who love playing together and stepped up.”
Tottenville’s seniors, of which it has 16, will hit the field together for the final time on Sunday, with a city championship at stake.
Fort Hamilton 7, Curtis 5
The Warriors fell behind 5-1 in the opening half and never quite recovered, although they pulled within a goal in the second half.
Senior Allison Kaht scored the Warriors’ lone first-half goal and added another in the second half. Kaht’s sophomore sister, Meghan, netted two goals. Sophomore Katherine McNamara scored the Warriors’ final goal.
Senior Brooke Diaz played excellent defense, while senior goalie Mikiyah Murphy excelled.
“I was impressed with how they turned the game around after the first half,” said Curtis coach Christine Lagana. “They may not have won, but these ladies weren’t going home without a fight. I couldn’t be more proud of them. They worked hard all season. I am a better person for having worked with these young women.”