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Top Sports Stories 2019: Sweet repeat for Mattituck/Southold

To repeat is sweet. Just ask the Mattituck/Southold high school girls lacrosse team.

The ending to Mattituck’s 2019 season was doubly fulfilling as the Tuckers walked off with their second straight state championship.

Almost a year to the day since Mattituck claimed its first state title on the same SUNY/Cortland field, the Tuckers did it again. They secured their second New York State Class D championship with an 11-7 defeat of Bronxville.

“It’s awesome, awesome feeling,” said Mattituck coach Matt Maloney, who had a water bucket dumped over him following the victory.

Bronxville is no stranger to the Tuckers. They had met Bronxville in their previous two state final-four appearances. Bronxville beat Mattituck in the 2017 semifinals before the Tuckers got revenge with a 12-1 hammering of the Broncos in the 2018 final.

In this most recent meeting, Mattituck never trailed and, after going in front, never even allowed Bronxville to tie the score. The “two-peat,” as Mattituck defender Lauren Zuhoski called it, was achieved with the aid of five straight goals by midfielder Mackenzie Hoeg, who propelled the Tuckers to an 8-3 lead with 13 minutes, 7 seconds left in the second half. The Tuckers also received a major boost from attack Francesca Vasile-Cozzo, who had five assists in her final high school game.

Mackenzie Hoeg and Vasile-Cozzo were beneficiaries of the attention Bronxville paid to Riley Hoeg, who nonetheless still supplied one goal and three assists.

Bronxville, a six-time state semifinalist that has never won a state title, had to settle for a runner-up trophy for a third straight year. Meanwhile, Mattituck capped a 15-5 season just the way it wanted to.

“It feels really good this year to say that we’re a two-time state champion, and I think that’s insane to finish off our season this way,” said goalie Claudia Hoeg, who made seven saves and was credited with 407 for her four-year varsity career. “It’s really crazy.”