Sayville tops West Islip on late goal

Amid momentum swings throughout last Thursday’s Suffolk Division 2 field hockey matchup between Sayville and West Islip, both defenses and goaltenders stood tall until the waning moments.

With overtime looming, Sayville’s Emma Iannacchino one-timed a pass from Keira Lombardo into the back of the net with 3:47 remaining in regulation for the game’s only goal. The dramatic 1-0 victory not only put the Golden Flashes over .500, but also took away some of the sting of three recent one-goal defeats.

“Both teams played incredibly hard,” Sayville coach Tisha Warner said. “It’s a big win for us in the standings and we also needed a big mental bump. We lost three really tough games to East Islip, Comsewogue, and Smithtown West in the past few weeks. One was in overtime, one was in a shootout, and the other one was late in regulation.”

Samantha Henry, in her first game back from injury, made four saves for the shutout. The only support she needed was Iannacchino’s third goal of the season.

“We really had to find a way to push through,” Iannacchino said. “We’ve been working a lot at practice on trying to make sure we’re on pads. It felt great.”

Sayville (5-4) posted its fifth shutout of the year and took a large step towards the playoffs. West Islip dropped to 3-6, but coach Josephine Hassett believes the Lions are still very much alive in the playoff race.

“The effort is always there,” Hassett said. “Today was a back-and-forth game. We definitely picked up our pace in the second half. I’m really proud of our team. The girls kept their composure. Sayville just found a way in the end.”

West Islip is led by the sister tandem of senior Giada Zegarelli and sophomore Mia Zegarelli. The ball was on Giada’s stick more than anyone on the field in the matchup, and she’s got four goals and a pair of assists on the year.

Giada scored twice and Mia once in a 3-0 victory over Rocky Point on Sept. 23. Emily LaBella, who was strong in the defeat to Sayville, posted the shutout with eight saves. Caleigh Calhoun and Grace Pesci had assists. The Lions’ other goalie, Molly McGrath, blanked West Babylon earlier in the campaign.

As the Zegarellis power the Lions, Sayville relies plenty on Lombardo, Emma Tloczkowski and Taylor Brink to give opponents headaches. Each has done plenty of damage so far, with Lombardo’s team-high nine goals to go with six assists, Brink registering six goals, and Tloczkowski adding two goals and a team-high seven assists.

“Those are our three captains and they’re doing a great job,” Warner said.

West Islip has lost five of six after a 2-1 start.

“This would’ve been a nice one to take because we knew Sayville would be difficult,” Hassett said. “We need to get two more wins to make the playoffs. It’s still within reach.”