East Field Hockey Nearly Picks Off WM

The Sachem East field hockey team's shoulders slumped like they would with any other loss – this a 3-2 decision in favor of rival Ward Melville, which scored three first-half goals and held on.

It was far from any other loss though. An Arrow win would likely have locked up the No. 2 seed in the Class A playoffs, which begin on Tuesday, rather than the 3 or 4 that they'll likely get. However, the value gained from taking it to the unbeaten top dogs can't be overstated with a potential rematch looming.

"If a couple things fell our way, it might have been a different game," head coach Tina Moon said. "To me, it felt like a win. They did everything we asked them to do."

The Patriots, whose only blemish this year is a 5-0 loss to Garden City, will be the No. 1 seed in Class A. Sachem East, Smithtown East and East Islip are all in the mix for a top four seed after that.

The game teetered in the balance late as the Arrows pushed forward in an effort to tally the equalizer. Katie Trombetta had multiple opportunities, steering her way through traffic only to have her shot kicked just wide with nine minutes left. Moments later, she unleashed a howitzer from the top of the circle but it was denied by Ward Melville goalie Lauren Tarantino.

Their final bid came with under two minutes to go, but despite significant traffic in front of the goal, Sachem was unable to tie it.

"We need to work harder and change some things that we need to change," Moon said. "It's just the little details."

Ward Melville had squandered an opportunity to ice it with 6:42 to go when it was awarded a penalty stroke. Moon had changed goalies at halftime, putting Jordan Miller between the pipes for the final 30 minutes. The sophomore responded with a lunging save to her right, keeping East alive.

"She had her moment," Moon said. "She has confidence now."

In the first half, the Patriots certainly didn't think they would have to sweat out the final few minutes. Abby Beltrani and Sam Jacobsen had put Melville up 2-0, and not long after Katie Trombetta sliced the Arrow deficit to one, it was back up to two courtesy of blistering pass from Beltrani to Callie Vitalo, and Vitalo put it home for a 3-1 edge.

East poured on the pressure from the whistle to begin the second half, and it didn't take long to make it a one-goal game. On yet another Arrow penalty corner, the ball landed on the stick of Trombetta, who laced it past Tarantino to make it 3-2. It marked the third time this year that the freshman phenom had scored twice in a game – both on penalty corners and one on an assist from Melissa McKeveny. It was also the first time Ward Melville had surrendered multiple goals to a Suffolk County opponent this season; the Patriots had given up just four all year coming in.

"Katie's a special kid," said Moon, who also lauded the play of another freshman, Katie Doherty. "She's so determined and brings so much to the table. She's the complete package."

The rematch with Ward Melville looked nothing like the teams' first meeting, a 3-0 Melville win. It was the fourth game in seven days for Sachem. This time, the Arrows came off a penalty-stroke loss to Smithtown East but showed no ill effects from the narrow defeat.