Lakeland Reigns Supreme, Wins 15th Straight Sectional Title

Putnam Valley Falls in Class C Overtime Title Tilt

By Tony Pinciaro

And LAKELAND’S reign continued on a rain-soaked turf.

The top-seeded Hornets added to their sectional record with a 1-0 victory over second-seeded Horace Greeley in the Section 1 Class B Field Hockey Championship game.

It is the 15th consecutive Section 1 Class B title for the Hornets. Add in the 2003 and 2006 Section 1 Class A crowns (and also state champions) and Lakeland has won 17 sectional titles this century.

Emily Yazzetti’s goal was all the Hornets needed to fend off the Quakers. Both Quakers’ losses this season came to Lakeland.

The Hornets advance to a state regional semifinal against the Section 2 champion at a date, time and site to be determined. The winner moves into a regional final against the Section 9 titleist, Sunday, at a time to be determined, at Rondout Valley High School (Section 9).

Lakeland (16-3-1) will also look to atone for consecutive losses in regional play the last two years. The loss in 2021 snapped a string of 11 straight years in the state final four.

Following a first-round win over Brewster, Lakeland defeated No. 8 Hen Hud, 7-0, in a quarterfinal behind two goals apiece from Riley Waters and Yazzetti.Gabby Santini added one goal and two assists.

It was the second straight year Lakeland beat Hen Hud in the quarterfinal round.

Lakeland scored twice in the first quarter and went on to a 3-1 win over No. 4 John Jay-Cross River in a semifinal.

Charlotte Sabert, Aditi Parambath and Bella Basulto had the goals.

PUTNAM VALLEY was a buzzsaw during the regular season and into the Section 1 Class C Championships.

The top-seeded Tigers opened the season with a loss to Lakeland, then ran off 15 consecutive wins to conclude the season. Putnam Valley advanced to their second consecutive final by dethroning 2022 Section 1 Class C champion and fourth-seeded, Bronxville, 4-0, in a semifinal behind two goals and an assist from Ava Harman.

This set up a third meeting between the Tigers and third-seed North Salem, who eliminated No.2 Irvington in a semifinal.

Putnam Valley swept the season set with North Salem – 4-0 and 2-0. However, there is an old sports adage that says it is difficult to beat the same team three times in a season. This held true as North Salem shocked Putnam Valley in 7-v.-7 overtime for a 1-0 victory.

North Salem will play the Section 2 champion in a state regional semifinal at a date, time and site to be determined.

Putnam Valley concludes the season with a 17-2 record. The Tigers began sectional play with a 5-0 victory over Albertus Magnus as Harman registered a hat trick.

Ava Buerkle added one goal and one assist and Gabby Alvarez collected two assists.

HORACE GREELEY continues to be an elite field hockey team and once again, the Quakers found themselves contending for the Section 1 Class B title.

Unfortunately, the Quakers faced their nemesis, Lakeland, in the Section 1 Class B championship game and the No. 1 seed fueled by an Emily Yazzetti goal, defeated the second-seeded Quakers, 1-0.

The Quakers finished with a 17-2-1 record with both losses coming to Lakeland.

“We had a great season,” Greeley Coach Sukhwinder Sandhu said. “We played very well. It was an even match-up. I’m very pleased with how we played.”

The Quakers’ road to the final was paved with three shutouts, including a 5-0 victory over No.3 Pearl River in a semifinal.

Five players – Phoebe Warshaw, Eve Rutman, Florence Moraes, Abigail Dolan and Nina Byrne – scored. Moraes had two helpers. In the 1-0 win over Ursuline in a quarterfinal, Warshaw finished an Aidan Lane pass and goalie Meredith Dalrymple made three saves.

YORKTOWN had a second consecutive 10-plus win season and registered a first-round victory over Harrison in the Section 1 Class B Championships. The Cornhuskers, who were the sixth seed, dropped a 4-1 verdict to Pearl River in a quarterfinal to finish the season .

Despite the premature close, Yorktown continued raising its level of play from a successful 2022 season.
“I think it’s amazing how much Yorktown field hockey has improved over the past 2-3 years,” said senior and captain Katie Taormina. “We’ve honestly come such a long way. There will still be so much talent on the team next year and I will be excited to hear how they do.”

The highlight of Yorktown’s season was a 1-1 tie with perennial Section 1 Class B champion Lakeland.

HEN HUD had a second excellent season under the guidance of coach Alyssa Picariello.

The Sailors, who had eight wins, including a first-round sectional victory in 2022, went 9-5 during the 2023 regular season. They earned the eighth seed in the Section 1 Class B Championships and posted a 2-0 victory over No. 9 Sleepy Hollow/Briarcliff in the first round.

Rowan Dapson scored a goal and assisted on Carleigh Ortiz’s goal.

Unfortunately, for the second year in-a-row, Hen Hud lost to top-seed Lakeland.