Sachem East field hockey tops Patchogue-Medford to remain unbeaten on season
Sachem East's Kacey Berger celebrates her goal in the third quarter during a Suffolk field hockey game against Patchogue-Medford on Monday at Sachem East. Credit: Bob Sorensen
Sachem East has built a dynasty on Long Island’s field hockey turf, and the powerhouse program is once again living up to its reputation.
On Monday night on their home field, they defeated Patchogue-Medford, 4-0, in the Suffolk I matchup, pushing their perfect start to 5-0.
“We knew coming into today that it was going to be a tough opponent,” senior and East Stroudsburg University commit Brooke Wasson said. “We’ve been working a lot on passing patterns, and I think it all just came together beautifully.”
Senior Isabella Sharpe got Sachem East on the board first, just over six minutes into the first quarter, finishing a pass from Wasson on a penalty corner.
Though the majority of the second quarter was played on the Raiders’ territory and they had five corner attempts, Sachem East couldn’t seem to finish.
“I think we got a little ahead of ourselves in the second quarter,” Coach Tina Moon said. “We were going too fast and weren’t being patient.”
But in the third quarter, that all seemed to change.
The surge began with sophomore Julia Wasson - Brooke’s younger sister - who finished off a feed from Kacey Berger in front of the cage on a corner penalty.
Berger capped off the quarter by stealing the ball at midfield and charging straight to the net for a score.
Brooke Wasson sealed the 4-0 victory on a corner penalty with just under four minutes remaining in the game.
“Coming from last year and losing some key seniors, we really wanted to be connected this year,” Wasson said. “We do a lot of things off the field to build our bond on the field, and I think it really shows.”
Kate Comiskey saved 21 shots for Patchogue-Medford (2-3).
Last season, Sachem East finished the regular season undefeated at 14-0 and went 18-0 overall before falling, 4-1, to Section II’s Guilderland in the state semifinals.
That dominant run, Moon said, continues to shape how this year’s team is viewed — and how they view themselves.
“We’re Sachem East, and everybody puts a lot of pressure on that,” Moon said. “I don’t think we ever thought we could be 18-0, but having that definitely gave us confidence coming into this season because now we know it’s possible and everybody wants that again .”
And they’re off to an impressive start.
With two more games ahead this week, Sachem East has a chance to keep its momentum rolling.
“We definitely have the big picture in mind, but we’re taking one step at a time,” Berger said. “We just want to continue to become the best team we possibly can.”
