H-ton Girls' Lax Juggernaut Unstoppable
Hannah Burnett and Alexis Thompson can make it look oh-so-easy, but, of course, it isn't. They are just among the best players in the country. The two stars have helped the Huntington High School girls' lacrosse team jump off to its best start in many years as the Blue Devils have won seven of their first eight games this spring.
Burnett and Thompson were at it again last Friday afternoon at John H. Glenn High School. The pair combined for nine goals and eight assists to propel Huntington past the Knights, 18-7 in a Suffolk Division II game.
Watching the two seniors play is like seeing poetry in motion. They glide effortlessly up-and-down the field, quickly and confidently weaving in and out of opposing defenses. Sharp passing and slick shooting have helped Burnett and Thompson appear to be nearly unstoppable at times.
Burnett scored four goals and added six assists against John H. Glenn. Thompson had five goals and two assists. The high octane duo are both headed to NCAA Division I on scholarships in the fall with Burnett set to play for the University of Florida and Thompson destined for Lafayette College.
Through eight games this spring, Burnett has tallied 42 goals and 30 assists while Thompson has notched 31 goals and 28 assists. Huntington has clearly been riding the wave of the exceptional offense produced by the two veterans, but the Blue Devils have also been getting outstanding play from the rest of the roster, including a core group of underclassmen and the team's three goalies.
Huntington took a 12-3 halftime lead and went on to outscore the Knights in the second half, 6-4. Lucie Lavelle scored three goals and Katie Reilly had two goals and an assist. Sarah Fernandez and Emma DeGennaro each had a goal and two assists. Stephanie Rafuse notched a goal and an assist. Mackenzie Maloney also scored and Irina DeSimone added an assist.
Huntington goalies Taylor Moreno (eight saves), Fiona Geier (five saves) and Anna Tesoriero (four saves) came up with some spectacular stops in the net.
Earlier in the week Huntington utilized a strong second half to steam past visiting Bellport, 14-4. The Blue Devils held a narrow 4-1 lead at halftime, but then overwhelmed the Clippers in the second frame, 10-3.
Burnett beat the goalie for five goals and assisted on seven others. Thompson had five goals and three assists. DeGennaro scored twice and added an assist. Reilly and Lavelle both scored and DeSimone had an assist. Tesoriero (seven saves), Geier (two saves) and Moreno (two saves) combined for 11 saves.
Huntington began the long week with a 16-15 double overtime victory at Kings Park. "This past week was somewhat stressful, but very productive," Thompson said.
Some Blue Devil players felt the team didn't play well in the first half against Kings Park, which forced Huntington to overcome a two goal second half deficit.
"We had a lot to work on since our defense is very young and still learning," Thompson said. "Against Bellport, we got everything together and picked it up on both offense and defense."
Thompson said that Huntington was unsure of what to expect when the team traveled to John Glenn, "but we came out on top, she added. "I think as a team it's been a growing process because, as I said, our defense is very young and we have switched to a new defense, which is strong now but more complicated and was a lot harder to get used to. Our attack is very strong and has faced some tough defenses, but we always find a way to break through it."
Huntington is continuing to work on its draw, but has struggled with a lack of height. The Blue Devils have done enough things right go 7-1 in the opening weeks of the season.
"My senior year is definitely going as I hoped," Thompson said. "Our record so far this season makes it just so much better. My hopes for the rest of the year are to finish out strong and to win our next few games, which are against strong teams."