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Girls Lacrosse: Katie Hoeg surpasses 500 career points for Tuckers

Mattituck:Greenport:Southold lacrosse player Katie Hoeg 051116

It was a day for numbers. Mighty impressive numbers.

Start with 16-0, and then consider 501.

The 16-0 refers to the sparkling record the Bayport-Blue Point High School girls lacrosse team finished a perfect regular season with on Wednesday, thanks to a 14-7 defeat of Mattituck/Greenport/Southold. As for the 501, that is the current career points total for senior Katie Hoeg, Mattituck’s all-time points leader. She has collected 295 goals and 206 assists over six varsity seasons. This season she has 50 goals and 56 assists.

Ironically, Hoeg equaled and then surpassed the 500-point mark on a day in which she was held goalless for the first time since she was a seventh-grader in her first varsity season.

Of course, visiting Bayport had a lot to do with that, clamping down on Hoeg with multiple defenders any time she was near scoring range. Bayport, which ended up in sole possession of first place in Suffolk County Division II with a 14-0 record, is as impressive as its record indicates. The Phantoms not only apply pressure to opposing defenses with their speed and stick skill, but they also exert another kind of pressure when opponents have the ball, making them feel as if they have to score or else the Phantoms will just take the ball down the field and score themselves.

Following the game, Hoeg received applause from her teammates for her achievement. Coach Matt Maloney marked up a ball and presented it to her to commemorate the occasion.

She entered the contest needing one point to reach 500. That point came on an assist to her sister, Mackenzie Hoeg, who cut Bayport’s lead to 7-4 with 4 minutes 9 seconds left in the first half.

Katie Hoeg’s second assist of the day also came on a strike by Mackenzie Hoeg 3:50 into the second half.

Katie Hoeg, who will play for North Carolina next season, was limited to two shots, one on goal. She also picked up four ground balls.

After Katie Hoeg won the game-opening draw, Mattituck (11-4, 10-4) controlled the ball for the opening 2:28, up until Riley Hoeg scored off a pass from Audrey Hoeg.

Bayport’s Courtney Weeks won the ensuing draw, and it was all Phantoms the rest of the way. Winning 11 of the 14 draws in the first half helped Bayport build a 9-4 lead.

Kerrigan Miller, a senior who is headed to USC, tallied three of her four goals in the first half for Bayport.

Mattituck drew a measure of hope when Mackenzie Hoeg’s second goal and goals by Jane DiGregorio (her second of the game) and Chelsea Marlborough pulled the Tuckers to within three goals at 10-7 with 10:36 left to play.

But Bayport was relentless. Miller, Kelsi Lonigro, Cassidy Weeks (three goals, one assist) and Kyla Zapolski (three goals) finished the game off with goals. Julia Imbo had two goals for the Phantoms, who outshot the home team, 25-12.

The Tuckers, who saw a six-game win streak snapped, expect to play a home playoff game next week when Katie Hoeg will have another opportunity to add to her point total.

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Photo caption: Mattituck/Greenport/Southold senior Katie Hoeg has accumulated 501 career points (295 goals and 206 assists) over six varsity seasons. (Credit: Garret Meade)