Huntington field hockey's Caroline Mitek scores lone goal in victory over Bay Shore/Islip
Huntington forward Caroline Mitek moves the ball against host Bay Shore. Credit: Elizabeth Sagarin
With a roster stacked with underclassmen, the Huntington field hockey team is proving that age doesn’t always define ability. On Wednesday night, the Blue Devils secured a 1-0 victory over Bay Shore/Islip in a Suffolk I matchup - another step forward for a group growing into its identity.
“They have all been working so hard on their skills,” coach Kathy Wright said. “I feel like this was the game where it all came together.”
The first quarter finished scoreless, but the Blue Devils knew they needed to capitalize on their chances. With 11:15 left in the half, Ava Bencivenga fed Caroline Mitek, who ripped a wide-open shot into the corner of the cage to give Huntington the lead.
“Ava was outside of the circle, and she had a hard pass in,“ Mitek, a junior, said. “There were a couple of girls on me, but I pulled it to the side, and was able to find an opening. I shot it, and it went right to the corner.”
“I trust her with the ball 100%,” Bencivenga, a sophomore, said. “So whenever I see her open, I'm going to send it to her.”
Coach Wright says that the chemistry the two hold on the field is special.
“It’s such a nice and unique connection they have,” Wright said. “And that’s what’s been able to bring us forward to score.”
So far this season, the duo has been a driving force for Huntington’s attack. Mitek already has eight goals and one assist, including a four-goal, one-assist performance against Copiague, and Bencivenga has one goal and five assists.
“It’s just a trust level,” Bencivenga said. “We look for each other out there because we each know what the other is capable of.”
Huntington’s dominance carried into the second half. Nearly the entire third quarter was played on the Marauders' territory. Huntington (3-3) had eight corner attempts, while Bay Shore had just one at the end of the quarter. The Blue Devils had 13 total corner attempts, and Bay Shore had five. Morgan Cousins made 12 saves for Bay Shore/Islip (3-3).
“We’ve never had that many corners this season,” Wright said. “For us, that’s a huge achievement, because with the corners, you’re keeping it up there and you’re eventually going to be able to score.”
And, though Wednesday’s win was another sign of the Blue Devils’ growth, Wright made it clear the team’s work is far from done.
“This isn’t where we stop,” Wright said. “We just need to keep going forward and keep getting better each and every game.”
“This game shows that anything can happen,” Mitek said. “We have some really tough games coming up, but we can beat any team we put our mind to.”
