Top Sports Stories 2017: First county, L.I. titles for Mattituck
A new classification in New York State high school girls lacrosse meant a new opportunity for Mattituck/Southold. It was an opportunity the Tuckers latched onto, and it took them far — all the way to SUNY/Cortland for the state semifinals.
Mattituck bagged its first Suffolk County and Long Island titles and reached the state semifinals for the first time. How big a step was it for the Tuckers?
“I think it’s huge,” coach Matt Maloney said after his team’s 13-7 loss to Bronxville in a state semifinal. “I think it’s huge for us to get here, not have a lot of seniors and have a chance to continue to progress, not just be happy that we’re here.”
A former Class C team, Mattituck was reclassified as Class D and it made a difference.
For the first time in the team’s eight-year varsity history, it won a county title, thanks to a 15-2 romp over Babylon as sisters Mackenzie and Riley Hoeg combined for six goals and eight assists.
The Long Island final was another rout. The Hoeg sisters and Francesca Vasile-Cozzo had three goals each in a 15-5 thrashing of Carle Place.
That earned Mattituck a place in the state semis where it ran into Bronxville, which had lost at that stage the previous three years. Not this time, though. Bronxville triumphed and went on to claim its first state crown. Mattituck finished the year at 14-5.
“Obviously, we were looking for a win at the end of the day, but it’s just one more step for next year,” Vasile-Cozzo said. “We’ll definitely be back.”
