By Steve Siniski
The Lady Chiefs scored a first half goal on a dribbler and added another goal on a penalty stroke that goaltender Diana Sepulveda got a piece of with her arm. But the two-goal deficit didn't seem nearly safe enough for Massapequa, which withstood a furious rally, attempt by Baldwin in the second half.
"It was a good game," first-year Lady Bruins' coach Mike Hoover said. "We had our opportunities in the second half. The transition was as it was all year, especially down two goals. The emotion was desperation to push it upfield. Alyssa [Hoover] and Christine [White] had opportunities, but their goalie made fantastic saves"
Lady Chief goaltender Danielle Scicutella stopped all 10 shots she faced, several on rapid-fire attempts by Baldwin in front of the net.
Had one shot gotten by, the outcome could have been much different. "The way we play offense we score in flurries when we put it together," Mike Hoover said. "I though we were going to get that first goal."
The Lady Bruins breezed to the championship game appearance with a 5-0 victory in the semifinals over Great Neck South on Halloween.
White, who set the program record for goals in a season (16), added three to her total, helping Baldwin take a four-goal lead at halftime. White broke the previous mark of 13 set in 1999. Hoover, the No. 2 scorer in Baldwin field hockey history (53 total points, just six behind the all-time record) added a goal and assist, extending her all-time lead for helpers in a year (13).
"The win in the County semis left no doubt," Mike Hoover said of the team's drive to play for a title. "They were determined to decide that game by halftime."
Alyssa Hoover and White each earned All-County honors, while Catherine Thiel and Nicole Spataro were named Honorable Mention All-County players. Sepulveda, Loral DeSalvio and Nicole Darnulc were named All-Conference performers for their play, and Baldwin also had a pair of All-League honorees in Kaitlin Pettit and Ashley Ainbinder.
"It was a great experience as a first year coach and to be able to coach my daughter," Mike Hoover said, noting the leadership of a nine-player senior class. "The whole feeling is something not a lot of [parents] can say they did at this level. It wasn't always easy, but it was fun.
"I didn't know what to expect, but I did know we had a group with talent. If we played hard and with confidence we could go as far as we wanted."
Among the award winners and records set on the field, the Lady Bruins also established a new benchmark for goals in a season with 51, breaking the previous record, set in 1989 and tied in 2001, by nine.
"The leadership was great," Hoover said. "We had great captains and great seniors."
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