Yorktown played with heavy hearts and a shared purpose Wednesday, honoring former team manager Sheridan Gorman with a 16-11 victory over visiting John Jay-Cross River in the Sheridan Gorman Memorial Game.
The matchup of unbeaten teams — the Huskers at 5-0 and the Wolves at 4-0 — became something far more meaningful as Yorktown competed in memory of the 2025 graduate, who was shot and killed near her college campus at Loyola University Chicago in March.
“Today and every day we play for more than ourselves and this game,” said Yorktown coach Heather Raniolo. “We play for Sheridan who meant so much to us all.”
Sheridan Gorman “was such a bright light and showed kindness and positivity to all around her,” Raniolo said. “To be able to come up with the win tonight means everything.”
The game tugged at the hearts of Yorktown players, including Annie Cunneen (4G, 1A, 1 caused turnover, 2 ground balls, 3 draw controls).
“Winning this game meant everything to us,” Cunneen said. “Sheridan was such a big part of our team and our community. She wasn’t just our manager, she was our friend and someone who brought so much energy and positivity every day. Being able to play for her and honor her gave us a deeper purpose and getting the win made the night even more special.”
Yorktown’s leading scorer against John Jay was Ava Ryan (6G, 1A, 4 ground balls, 1 draw control).
“It meant everything to us to be able to play in honor of Sheridan and for all of her family and friends,” Ryan said.
Raniolo said she couldn’t have been more pleased with her team’s play.
“We played good team lacrosse. The ball movement and selfless play has been incredible to watch,” she said. “Defensively our slides, hustle on loose balls and grit to come up with caused turnovers had us fired up on the sidelines.”
Ryan’s 6-goal performance was spurred in part by Gorman’s memory.
“The game felt that much more important because we were playing for Sheridan, so we all pushed each other to do our best and the energy was high,” Ryan said. “Our offense was really connected and I had many opportunities to score because our defense played strong.”
Not rushing things was key to the Huskers’ offensive success.
“We were patient and our offense was able to find gaps in John Jay’s defense and we had great looks,” Ryan said.
Cunneen credited team chemistry to her 4-goal night.
“We’ve built a strong connection with each other, and we trust one another on the field,” Cunneen said. “My teammates were moving the ball well, finding me in the right spots and we were all on the same page offensively. We work really well together and that makes it a lot easier to create scoring opportunities.”
Juliet Horton (1 ground ball), Megan Durante (1 caused turnover, 3 ground balls), Sydney Sateriale (3G, 2A, 1 ground ball, 4 draw controls), Lily Diaz (2G, 2A, 7 caused turnover, 6 ground balls, 6 draw controls), Gianna Boucher (1G, 2 ground balls), Riley Gross (1 caused turnover), Ella Robustelli (1 ground ball), Sam Conboy (2 saves) and Julia Fitzsimons (3 saves) all contributed to the emotional victory.
“We were able to win because we played for something bigger than ourselves,” Cunneen said. “Against another unbeaten team, it easily could’ve gone either way, but our energy, unity and determination made the difference. It meant a lot to come out on top in a game like that, especially while dedicating it to Sheridan it made the moment even more special for all of us.”
Yorktown (6-0) started the week with a 16-5 victory at Hendrick Hudson on April 6, paced by Horton (1G, 2 ground balls), Durante (1A, 1 caused turnover, 1 ground ball), Sateriale (4G, 1A, 2 caused turnovers, 3 ground balls, 2 draw controls), Ryan (3G, 2A, 1 caused turnover, 1 ground ball, 1 draw control), Diaz (4G, 4A, 2 caused turnovers, 1 ground ball, 5 draw controls), Robustelli (2G), Boucher (3 caused turnovers, 2 ground balls), Izzy Wilson (2 caused turnovers, 2 ground balls), Khloe Clarkin (1A, 2 ground balls, 1 draw control), Izzy Todd (1G, 1A, 1 ground ball), Gross (2 caused turnovers), Gia Burns (1G), Conboy (1 save) and Fitzsimons (4 saves).
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