Huntington JV Girls' Lax
a Powerhouse
As the Huntington High School girls' lacrosse program strives to return to an elite level, last spring's junior varsity team provided a preview of what is in the proverbial pipeline. The Blue Devils compiled an 11-3-1 mark under head coach Kathleen Wright.
The season began with a 12-8 victory over Rocky Point and concluded with Huntington topping Shoreham-Wading River, 12-8. Wright said the 29-player roster "came together and played as a team."
The Blue Devils featured a very strong attack. Alexis Thompson led the squad with 59 goals and nine assists. "Throughout the season, Alexis was able to maintain possession of the ball 41 times during the draw," Wright said. "Her ability to do this gave us the advantage of a fast break over all the other teams we faced."
Stephanie Rafuse fired in 50 goals and added seven assists. "She was a powerful asset, retrieving ground balls and keeping possession," the coach said. Samantha Dever made major contributors to the attack unit, too, with 12 goals and five assists. Hannah Pipolo was a strong feeder from your low attack position. The freshman also scored 10 goals and assisted on 10 others.
Kelly Askerberg (5 goals, 1 assist), Maggie Askerberg (4g, 1a), Emily Arciprete, Page Bond (2g, 1a), Rachel Bosco and Kari Peer rounded out Huntington's attack and "helped the team each time they came on the field," Wright said.
Exceptional midfield play was one of the keys to the Blue Devils' success. Huntington was simply outstanding at transitioning from defense to attack. Katie Healy (10g, 4a) was able to intercept, transition the ball, double team, assist or shoot throughout a typical game. Kaylyn Johnson (12g, 2a) used her stamina to repeatedly race up-and-down the field. Lucie Lavelle (1g, 1a) , Nicole Gaimbrone (8g, 1a) , Annie Nugent (7g, 1a) and Gillian Erhman (2g, 1a) were skilled and energetic.
Huntington's defense was also tops. Molly Arceri led the unit, which included Alana Alongi, Jenny Duffy, Megan Healy, Katia DeSimone, Tiana Thurmond, Julianna Kimchy, Gabby Wilson, Jessica Stern, Katherine Shirley and Skylar Unger. The Blue Devil defenders would aggressively confront any opposing player that approached the Huntington cage. "What made the defense so strong was its ability to communicate with one another on the field," Wright said.
Like any quality team, the Blue Devils benefitted from superb play in goal. Danielle Shantz recorded 89 saves in 10 games before getting called up to the varsity. Raynesha Witherspoon stepped right in as Shantz' replacement and made 57 saves over the remainder of the season. "The goalies were powerful and reliable every game," Wright said.
One can easily see this particular group of players eventually carrying the Huntington program far. Wright said the Blue Devils were "a wonderful, strong team that played with great heart. They supported each other both on and off the field. As they played each game and their stick skills and game sense improved, they each proved to themselves that they could rise and meet any challenge and beat some of the best teams in Suffolk."
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