Farnan’s Saves Propel Westhampton Beach Girls Lacrosse To First-Ever Win Over Eastport-South Manor

Freshman Maya Farnan said she revels in free position shots.

The Westhampton Beach goalkeeper said she also likes to set the tone by making the first save of the game.

She did both on Saturday, on the way to 10 stops, several off penalties, to drive her Hurricanes (8-6) to their first ever win over Eastport-South Manor, 10-4.

“Free positions are something that hype me up,” Farnan said. “I just keep telling myself, ‘You’ve got this. You can do this,’ and with each save it only brings up the energy of the team.”

Westhampton Beach also got on the board early when freshman midfielder Reese King found senior Lily Berchin cutting in front of the cage off the opening draw win, resulting in a 1-0 lead 20 seconds into the game. Eastport-South Manor won the ensuing draw, but Farnan made a save after a shooting space penalty, and did it again at the 16:30 mark.

“Free positions are also my favorite, because you can set up and be ready for what your opponent is doing,” Farnan said. “You read the girl’s shoulders and see where she’s aiming. You listen to their coaches on the sidelines telling them what to do.”

The Sharks tied things up four minutes later — but that didn’t scare Farnan, or her Hurricanes. King ended the first half with a goal and two assists, finding eighth-grade attack Ava Derby on a cut and receiving a feed from senior midfielder Olivia Rongo after a push call for a 4-1 advantage.

Farnan said having a cushion makes her feel even more at ease when the ball comes her way.

“You know if you were to make a mistake or the ball was to go in the net, you have those points on the board to help you, so it doesn’t make as much of a difference,” she said. “It makes you less shaken up and it makes you feel under less pressure.”

She said her solid defense in front of her doesn’t hurt, either. “I know I can trust them,” Farnan said. “Some defenses that I’ve played with let girls cut in the middle, but our girls, we talk as a unit and we play so well together.”

King said the prowess of her young goaltender helps the offense focus even more on doing its job.

“Maya is a beast!” King exclaimed, smiling. “It really helps when you have a goalie that’s making awesome saves on the other end, and then you’re using those possessions to score on the other side.”

Farnan added she also likes to bounce back from each goal she lets up with another save to regain her focus. She actually followed her goal against with back-to-back stops with under a minute left in the first half to protect a 4-1 lead.

And every Hurricane really played her part in the monumental victory. King finished with five draw wins, three assists, three ground balls and two goals, and Rongo won four draws, had three caused turnovers, scored twice and added an assist.

Five of their teammates scored, with Provenzano netting two goals. Senior Mia Failla and junior Reilly Mahon also scooped up two ground balls apiece.

King said momentum came not just in the form of Farnan’s saves or the goals scored but the draw control, too.

“The draw is its own little game, and if you win that game, you’re in a really good spot to win the entire game,” the freshman said. “I feel like we were connecting really well, everyone was moving so well off-ball and looking for each other, and I love that we had points all across the board — everyone was contributing.”

Failla was recently added outside the circle and said while she was nervous at first, it’s helped improve her overall game.

“Tracking the ball has been a big thing for me, and being on the draw circle helps even more, because I’m looking for that,” she said, adding that she agrees with King that the dominance at the faceoff provides the Hurricanes some additional comfort. “Our defense is even more sure of itself because we can count on getting that next draw if we let up a goal.”

The win was also a prodigious one for Westhampton Beach as the team checks off another preseason goal. The Hurricanes had yet to beat powerhouse Mt. Sinai or crosstown rival ESM, and now have achieved both feats in a single season. Westhampton Beach had edged the Mustangs, 6-5, back on April 9.

“This will bring our team’s confidence up so much,” Farnan said. “Now we know we’re capable of wins like this. I think it’s only up from here.”

Failla said it would not be possible without her goalkeeper.

“Maya is amazing,” the senior said, touting the freshman’s over 50 percent save rate. “We could never win a game against such a good team without her.”

She said the win was even more moving for her, because it’s also been a personal goal of hers over the four years she’s been on varsity. She said this is the closest she’s felt to a team.

“This is my favorite season. We have a positive goalie on our end. We’re always keeping our heads up. We feel more like a family this year than in years past, and I think that’s a real positive for us,” Failla said. “This was an eye-opening and awakening moment for us moving forward. I think that the ball is definitely in our court. I think that we can win any game if we have this energy and this heart.”

Still in the hunt for a playoff spot, Westhampton Beach hosted Rocky Point (8-4) for the Hurricanes’ final home game May 2, and lost, 11-3. The team travels to Harborfields on May 5 for a 4 p.m. game and ends the season with a 2 p.m. matchup at Miller Place on May 7.