Kingston wins 11th straight Class A title
Tigers earn 2-0 win over Pine Bush in Section 9 final
Like Garfield, Kingston High’s field hockey team is not a fan of Mondays, but the Tigers didn’t let that deter them from winning an 11th consecutive Section 9, Class A championship.
Kingston got first-half goals from Reiley Fitzerald and Bridgie Loughlin to carry it to a 2-0 triumph over Pine Bush in the final at Vassar College’s Weinberg Field.
“Just like for school, Mondays are the worst,” Fitzgerald noted.
“That’s where I was proud of my team,” Kingston coach Samantha Ward said. “All year we’ve struggled with intensity in Monday games and keeping our focus and intensity in big games. We have problems keeping our head in the game and knowing that we can live up to a challenge.
“It didn’t get into our heads tonight. We played really well. It was nice to see them mature throughout the season like that.”
The (12-2-1) Tigers will play the Section 4 champion in a regional final noon Sunday Nov. 5 at Dietz Stadium. The winner advances to the state final four.
Kingston was coming off Thursday’s big 4-1 win over Rondout Valley to defend its Mid-Hudson Athletic League title.
“I was definitely nervous with our start, but they stepped it up and they started playing smart,” Ward said.
The (8-6) Lady Bushmen had the better of the play in the opening 15 minutes, but the Kingston defense of Alexandra Lettre, JaLynn Davis and Gannon Riley prevented them from taking a shot on goal. Their best attempt was Meghan Hennig’s angled bid nine minutes into the match, but Tiger midfielder Abbie Mayone made the block.
Once Kingston applied the
pressure, it was all on Pine Bush’s defense and senior goalkeeper Erin Vandemark, who finished with eight saves. She kept clearing the ball out of the circle, denying the Tigers’ efforts
Kingston finally broke through with 4:05 left in the half. Mayone got the ball to Fitzgerald. Vandemark made the initial save, but Brooke Gastin pushed the rebound behind the goalie to Fitzgerald for the score.
Kingston was awarded a penalty corner just as the half ended — the field hockey equivalent of an untimed down in football. With the clock off, Loughlin connected off Davis’ assist.
“It was just a perfect pass from JaLynn. She got it right to me. I put my stick down and got it in,” Loughlin said.
“We wanted it so bad that we were so determined to make sure we hear that ball hit the back of the cage and that’s what got us to be champs,” Fitzgerald said.
“Having that extra goal just kept us going through the whole second half,” Loughlin said.
With all the momentum in the final half, the Tigers kept the pressure on. Vandemark dropped to her knees to stop a Lettre shot midway through the period. In the final minute, Pine Bush finally got a shot on goal, but Kingston keeper Lizzy Smith made a kick save to preserve the shutout.
So the Tigers seem to be okay with playing on Mondays. Noon on a Sunday?
“That’s a good question,” Fitzgerald remarked. “We’ll just have to find out and see.”