Thursday, October 1, 2026
The Long Beach girls’ lacrosse season came to an end May 22 after No. 2 Manhasset held off a late push from the third-seeded Marines to secure a 10-7 victory in the Nassau Class B semifinals at Adelphi University.
Long Beach coach Rachel Ray’s team entered play on a five-game winning streak after capturing its last four regular-season games, followed by a 16-4 disposal of MacArthur in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs May 16.
“We didn’t get the ball rolling offensively right away,” Ray said after the season-ending loss. “Once we figured it out, it was a little too late.”
The semifinal opened with Harper Lambert striking first for Manhasset. Long Beach quickly responded when junior attacker Sienna Warren tied it at one with 6:03 left in the first quarter. However, Manhasset closed the period strong with two goals in the final minute and just 48 seconds apart. Mia Gavin finished a setup from Elim Yang to make it 2-1 and then with less than two seconds to go in the period, Taylor Gordon gave Manhasset a two goal advantage.
Manhasset carried its momentum into the second quarter. Gordon converted a power-play goal from Yang, followed by Lambert’s second of the game off a feed from Gordon to make it 5-1. Yang then dished out her third assist, connecting with Lily Acerra to extend the lead to 6-1. Long Beach fought back with late goals from Warren and sophomore attacker Marianna Chimienti, cutting the deficit to 6-3 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Lambert completed her hat trick with a goal at 10:37 for Manhasset. Chimienti answered for Long Beach thanks to a nice assisting pass from sophomore midfielder Anala Teemer and then not long after, senior midfielder Delaney Chernoff made it 7-5 with 2:12 left. But Lambert struck again for her fourth goal of the game in the final minute of the quarter, giving Manhasset an 8-5 cushion.
Manhasset sealed the game in the fourth. Danielle Perfetto and Gordon scored early to push the lead to 10-5. Despite late goals from junior attacker Skylar Kilfeather and Chimienti, who completed her own hat trick, Long Beach (12-6 overall) couldn't close the gap. In goal for the Marines was senior Saoirse Feerick. She did all she could to keep her team in the game, making multiple big saves for the Marines.
Long Beach defeated Manhasset on April 11, 6-5. Ray knew that it would not be easy to beat it again. “They are a really good team,” said Ray. “It’s tough to beat a good time twice.”
A loss in the playoffs is always hard, but especially for the seniors who see their high school careers come to an end. In this case, there are 13 girls who are a part of Long Beach’s 2025 graduating class. “They have persevered through some really tough stuff,” Ray said. “That’s what has gotten them this far and I know they will all go on to do amazing things.”
On the flip side, the future for the Marines is bright. “We’re gonna be back for sure,” Ray said. “This graduating class set the bar high but it’s good that the younger players got their feet wet.”
