Ainsley Dircks scores twice to give Cold Spring Harbor the Long Island Class B crown
Cold Spring Harbor celebrates its win over Babylon In the Long Island Class B girls soccer final at Harborfields on Tuesday. Credit: Kathy M Helgeson
Cold Spring Harbor girls soccer had to wait 12 long years to win its first Long Island title since 2012. Now, thanks to the boot of sophomore Ainsley Dircks, the Seahawks have won two in as many years.
Dircks scored both goals for Cold Spring Harbor in its 2-1 win over Babylon in the Long Island Class B championship game Tuesday afternoon at Harborfields High School.
“It’s been their story, their journey, their chapter of Cold Spring Harbor soccer,” coach Ryan Towers said. “And they’re still writing it, so we’re happy about that.”
The Seahawks (4-12-2) will travel to the winner of Section I’s Blind Brook and Section XI’s Mount Academy in the state quarterfinal round Saturday.
After a strong start by Babylon (8-7-3) that saw the Panthers earn three corner kicks in the first nine minutes, Cold Spring Harbor settled in and broke through with 11 minutes left in the first half after sophomore Francesca Chiarenza took a shot off a corner kick.
Babylon senior Gianna Durler, screened by bodies, did well to save the shot. But Dircks was there to crash and score the rebound.
Cold Spring Harbor rosters just five seniors and only five juniors, with players like talented eighth grade winger Norah Wouters Almeida highlighting a bright future for a team that still finds a way to win.
“I think we all knew going into the season that it wouldn’t be the same team as last year,” Dircks said. “But I think we have great chemistry. We’re all so close, and it leads to us playing well together on the field.”
That youthful talent showed yet again off a brilliant pass from sophomore Sophie Canzoneri that gave Dircks her second goal of the game. Canzoneri switched the field to the right wing to find Dircks in open space, whose shot took a slight deflection and made it a two-goal game with 13 minutes remaining.
“I’ve been yelling at her all year to get goals,” Towers joked. “We actually talked about that run a lot, that deep run from the midfield diagonally if a forward clears out.”
Babylon nearly equalized 13 minutes earlier in the second half off a cross from senior Lily Krollage to junior Danielle DiLauro, but junior goalie Charlotte Madigan made a terrific save off a shot that originated no further than the 6-yard box.
“I was very motivated to keep the ball out the net as much as possible,” said Madigan, who had nine saves. “It was very nerve-wracking, but I got it.”
Tireless effort from Babylon senior Alexa Casale in the midfield along with Krollage and junior Emma Muccioli up top kept the Panthers pressing in the second half. Yet a Seahawks defense of freshman Lila Newman, junior Bridget Willcocks, freshman Avery Needle and junior Lyla Long didn’t break until Krollage’s corner found the head of Casale who scored with 46 seconds remaining.
But when the final whistle blew, the Seahawks had flocked to Madigan. Once again, Cold Spring Harbor is heading upstate.
“Everyone just came in and we’re all screaming, it’s a great feeling,” Madigan said. “I love my team.”
Michael Sicoli covers high school sports for Newsday. He graduated from Quinnipiac in 2022 and left with a master’s degree in sports journalism in 2023.
