Greeley, Lakeland Enter Regionals as No.1 Seeds
By Ray Gallagher
Examiner Sports Editor@Directrays
HORACE GREELEY looked every part of the No.1 seed entering the Northern Westchester/Putnam Large School Regional Tournament last Saturday in its 5-0 win over host MAHOPAC, which procured the No.4 seed in the tournament, and the Quakers might again see the Indians in the second round of the tournament should Mahopac survive Monday’s opening-round tilt with No.5 SOMERS.
The 2019 NYS Class A runner-up Quakers (10-1-0) drew a first-round bye after blowing open a 2-0 halftime game against Mahopac with three second-half tallies. Quaker captain Lily Shoonmaker (2G) and company were simply too much to handle, and the Quaker defense was impenetrable.
Greeley took a 1-0 lead over Mahopac on a goal by two-time All-NYS F Schoonmaker on a penalty stroke. Emma Terjesen provided a 2-0 lead, and the Quakers went up 3-0 early in the third quarter on a corner score by Natalie Laskowski, the assist by Caroline Flannery. Greeley went up 4-0 when Steph Novick scored from Emma Terjesen and Schoonmaker added the final margin late in the third.
Simply put, the Quakers appear head and shoulders above the regional playoff field. No.5 Somers was set to challenge No.4 Mahopac Monday in what should be a whale of a contest between the bordering rivals. No.6 FOX LANE will visit No.3 CARMEL, which could surprise some folks and challenge Greeley in the end. The Rosenquest sisters, Kylie and Laila, will provide the Rams with everything they need to challenge. No.7 YORKTOWN will visit No.2 John Jay-Cross River, which is rich in field hockey history and should provide a staunch challenge for the Huskers.
The semifinals are set for Wednesday at higher seed with the finals set for Friday at higher seed.
Likewise, defending NYS Class B champion LAKELAND looks every bit of the part, and then some, to challenge for the Northern Westchester/Putnam Small School Regional Tournament after the once-beaten Hornets nabbed the top seed.
In Lakeland’s 4-1 win over John Jay-Cross River, SUNY Cortland-bound Keirra Ettere scored twice and Lakeland secured its 24th consecutive league title and finished the regular-season 11-1. Katelyn Cerrato and Emma Ryan also scored for the Hornets, who made short work of Somers in a 6-0 win earlier in the week. Lakeland’s only challenge might come from No.2 North Salem, which will find the sledding tough as the Tigers are a Class C program.
The small school quarterfinals were set to start yesterday No. 1 Lakeland getting a bye; No.5 PANAS at No.4 HEN HUD; No.6 PUTNAM VALLEY at No.3 CROTON; No.7 BYRAM HILLS at No.2 NORTH SALEM. After a 5-1 win over Valhalla, surging Hen Hud is a sneaky play after the Sailors came within a hair of .500 (5-6-1) when Sydney Muranaka and Emma Schembari both scored a pair and Paige Johannsen added another.
The semifinals were set for Wednesday at higher seed with the finals set for Friday, most likely at Lakeland.
Down south, don’t sleep on Alexa Donahoe’s fourth-seeded WHITE PLAINS Tigers in the upcoming regional tournament. Yeah, the road runs through top-seeded Mamaroneck, but the Cornell-bound Doanhoe’s Tigers are upset-minded after she went for three goals and an assist in a 4-0 win over Ursuline. The Southern Westchester large school regional semis were set to open Monday with No. 4 White Plains at No. 1 Mamaroneck. The winner will face the survivor of No.3 Scarsdale vs. No.2 Pelham in the finals.
No.5 PLEASANTVILLE was at No.4 Hastings last night in the Southern Westchester small school playoff with the winner set to face No.6 VALHALLA/No.3 Irvington survivor. The semis are set for Wednesday at higher seed with the finals to follow Friday.
Ray has 33 years experience covering and photographing local sports in Westchester and Putnam counties, including everything from Little League/Travel Baseball to varsity high school prep sports and collegiate coverage. He has been a sports editor at Examiner Media since its inception in 2007.
Visit Ray’s author bio page for more details. Also read Ray’s archived work here and his Direct Rays column here.
