East Hampton Field Hockey Advances to County Final With Win Over Harborfields

East Hampton’s field hockey team has advanced to the Suffolk County championship game for the first time since 2003.

The history-making season continued following the No. 3-seeded Bonackers’ 2-1 win at No. 2 Harborfields on October 26. East Hampton advanced to the Class B title game on Saturday where it lost to No. 5 Rocky Point, 3-2, in overtime (see separate story).

“We all worked really hard, and I think we deserved this,” said junior midfielder Melina Sarlo. “I’m so happy.”

Sarlo got things started for East Hampton (11-3-1) in the second quarter. The Bonackers had multiple corners in the first, but finally capitalized on one with 9:25 left in the opening half. The junior, who scored from 10 yards on a shot between two defenders and off a feed from classmate Emma McGrory, said remaining calm was key to the Bonackers’ success.

“We settled the ball and collected it before we shot,” Sarlo said. “We held the ball and took them one way and then passed it off and spread out the defense so we were able to open up lanes to shoot. I’m proud of how we played as a unit.”

Head coach Samantha James said her girls were quickly able to put it all together while talking about the new strategy during the first break.

“We had to figure out where the goalie was moving and how the defense was playing it out,” she said. “Once we figured that out, we knew what angles to shoot, and we executed them.”

That happened again with 55.9 seconds left in the first half. And even though the ball was intended for Sarlo off the corner, it bounced and ended up in front of junior Ally Schaefer, and the defender pushed it past a diving defender’s stick and through to McGrory, who knocked it into the box past an unexpecting Mackenzie Conversano.

“It was really intense,” Schaefer said of watching the ball hop on the pass. “I knew I had to be ready for it to come to me.”

She said her teammates trusted in one another to get the job done.

“We knew we had to play out to the sideline — hit wide balls — and stay really strong throughout the whole game and have a positive attitude, and we did that,” said Schaefer, who also saved a shot by batting the ball away from the front of the goal in the opening minutes of the second quarter. “I’ve been playing on this team since eighth grade and we never thought we’d make it this far, but now, I think we’re going to do big things.”

Still, James said she and her athletes knew they could never get too comfortable.

“They’re a very good team, and well-coached. I knew they were going to come down our throats,” the coach said of Harborfields. “But we stood our ground and kept up our intensity. Defense wins.”

The ball remained in the Bonackers’ zone through much of the second half, but just like in the first, the girls knocked away just about every Tornadoes (14-4) opportunity. First, senior defender Sadie Cober made a save of her own after the ball headed right for her following freshman goalkeeper Caeleigh Schuster’s stop. Then, Schuster kicked the ball away with 1:08 to go in the third quarter. During a scrum in front of East Hampton’s cage five minutes into the fourth, the ball was suspected to have gone in, but instead a Harborfields penalty shot ensued, and Schuster punched that away with 10:51 to go. The freshman made back-to-back stops inside seven minutes, but a rebound on a shot at 6:54 bounced back and was knocked into the left corner by Julia Schiliro to cut East Hampton’s lead in half.

Schaefer said the team couldn’t fault their impeccable goalie, who made 21 saves in the win.

“She is a complete brick wall. She’s amazing — and she’s only a freshman, which is crazy,” Schaefer said of Schuster. “She’s one of the most important people on our team. She’s essential.”

Her teammates shared similar sentiments.

“It’s relieving to know she’s always back there to help us when we’re getting passed by or there’s a loose ball,” Sarlo said.

“Caeleigh is so skilled — the most skilled goalie I’ve ever played with,” Cober added. “She puts so much work into it. I’m so happy to have her behind me.”

The Bonackers called a timeout to regroup following the goal, and Harborfields went down a player with just under five-and-a-half minutes left. The Tornadoes didn’t get another shot after that break.

“We were always moving off the ball and in the right spot to get that pass and get it up the field,” Cober said. “We stayed focused.”

With each postseason win the Bonackers have gained more and more confidence, and have some additional motivation — besides fighting for what could be East Hampton’s first county crown since 1996 — heading into the Suffolk County final against the Eagles (12-4-1). Rocky Point, which tied with East Hampton, 1-1, back on October 19 and eliminated the Bonackers with a 2-1 win in a heated Suffolk County quarterfinal last year, during the abbreviated 2021-22 season that was pushed from the fall to the spring.

“We’re pumped — really hyped about it,” Cober said of competing against Rocky Point, which knocked off No. 1-seeded Bayport-Blue Point with a 2-1 victory Wednesday. “This team has been playing together since third grade and we’re still considered the underdogs. We want some sweet revenge.”