Lakeland Gold finishes third

Championships and final placements were decided July 29 as the Hudson Valley Summer Field Hockey League concluded its season at Lakeland High School, with several local teams ending the summer on a high note.

One of those contests saw Lakeland Gold (7-0-1) defeat Yorktown (5-3-1) 3-1 to earn third place in the varsity division.

“It meant a lot to finish the summer with a win, especially against our crosstown rival,” said Lakeland Gold’s Gianna Santini. “It gave us confidence going into the fall season and showed how much we’ve improved as a team throughout the summer.” 

Lakeland Gold built a 2-0 halftime lead.

“We came out with a lot of energy and communicated really well from the start,” Santini said. “We moved the ball quickly, created scoring opportunities, and took advantage of them. Defensively, we stayed organized and didn’t give them many chances, which helped us build that lead.”

Santini (2G) and Brielle Fertucci (1G) scored for Lakeland Gold, while Avery Perl recorded the lone goal for Yorktown.

“This summer has prepared us a lot,” Santini said. “We’ve had the chance to build stronger chemistry with each other and work on our individual skills. Every game has helped us improve as a team and I think we’re going into the fall much more confident and ready to compete.”

In goal, Lakeland Gold’s Natalya Walther made five saves, while Yorktown’s Sam Conboy made four.

RGV defeated Lakeland Green (8-1) 5-1 in the varsity championship game, with Gabby Goldstein scoring and Olivia O’Connor making five saves.

There was also plenty of action July 27, as Gia Burns (1G), Bryna Alleva (1G), Braedyn Carney (3 saves) and Gillian Ropke (1 save) led Yorktown JV (4-3) to a 2-1 victory over Putnam Valley JV in the fifth/sixth-place game of the JV/modified division.

In the third/fourth-place game of that division, Rye JV nipped Hornets 1 JV 5-4, with the Hornets (4-3) paced by Ava Canniff (2G), Sofia Pikoulas (1G), Caitlin Gallagher (1G) and Julianna Vazzano (11 saves).

Hornets 2 JV (6-1-1) won the JV/modified championship with a 9-3 victory over John Jay-Cross River Black JV, led by Franki Dubray (4G), Canniff (2G), Leah Kuney (1G), Pikoulas (1G), Gallagher (1G) and Olivia Vitale (4 saves).

In the open division championship game, Hudson Valley (8-0) defeated Sticks and Giggles (4-4-1) 4-3 in a shootout.

Callan Keeley (2G) and Catherine Darcy (1G) scored in regulation, while Darcy and Meaghan Heyde converted in the shootout for Hudson Valley.

In goal for Hudson Valley, O’Connor made eight saves and stopped six of seven attempts in the shootout, while Walther made five saves.

Santini, Emma Numme and Kate Nielson tallied goals for Sticks and Giggles in regulation with Santini also scoring in the shootout.

Mackenzie Ryder recorded 14 saves in regulation for Sticks and Giggles in addition to saving 5 of 7 shots in the shootout.