Northport's Ava DeMarco scores 4 goals as Tigers win Suffolk Class AAA girls soccer title
Northport wins the Suffolk Class AAA girls soccer final against Commack in North Babylon on Tuesday. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
The last time Northport saw Commack, the two walked off the field even, a draw that left unfinished business between Suffolk AAA’s top girls soccer teams. But on Tuesday morning at North Babylon High School, Northport made its dominance clear.
The top-seeded Tigers erupted for a 6-2 win over No. 2 Commack, earning the program’s first county title since 2017, fueled by a brilliant four-goal, two-assist performance from junior standout Ava DeMarco.
“This whole season I’ve talked about wanting to get to this moment and win the county championship,” DeMarco said. “I knew I had to live up to my word and bring a performance like I did today.”
After 20 scoreless minutes of back-and-forth play, Commack got a breakf. Junior Sarah Frank charged toward the Northport goalkeeper as she attempted to clear the ball, and the deflection bounced off Frank and into the goal for a 1-0 advantage.
But DeMarco wasted no time striking back. Less than 20 seconds later, she connected with forward Caitlin Cocks, who buried the equalizer.
“She was frustrated those first 20 minutes of the game,” Coach Aija Gipp said. “But when we got scored on, and she was able to make a play just 20 seconds later, that’s when I could feel that she was ready to go.”
The intensity kept building. Breanna Mender fired a shot that rattled off the crossbar, and Sofia D’Alessandro was there for the rebound, giving Commack the 2-1 lead.
Once again, DeMarco was not going to let them have it for long. She went on to score back-to-back goals, the second assisted by Ella Cranco, to give Northport a 3-2 lead going into the half.
“She’s just such a high-IQ player,” Gipp said. “She’s able to recognize the defense and create space and opportunities.”
As dominant as she was in the first half, DeMarco came out of the break even stronger.
“In this big of a game, you can’t slip up,” DeMarco said. “I knew after that first half, I had to come back twice as strong.”
Her impact was immediate. DeMarco stole the ball from the Commack back line and dribbled to 25 yards out before firing a shot into the back of the net.
A few minutes later, she showed her unselfishness once again, delivering a perfect cross to Emma Greenberg in the box to extend the Tigers' lead to 5-2.
With 17 minutes remaining, DeMarco capped the scoring and sealed the 6-2 victory.
Northport continues its near-perfect season, improving to 17-0-2.
“I think they’ve created this winning habit, and it gives them confidence,” Gipp said. “It doesn’t matter who our opponent is, or if they’re coming from behind; they’re going to get the job done.”
Commack (15-2-2) will face Ithaca High School at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Waverly High School for the At-Large Regional championship.
Northport will face Nassau Class AAA winner Oceanside at 10 a.m. on Saturday at Whitman High School for the Long Island Class AAA championship — a title Northport hasn’t won since 2012.
“We’re extremely motivated, we’re ready for that next step,” DeMarco said. “In playoffs, you have to take it one game at a time, and now that we’re county champions, we’re going to take a good look at Oceanside and find a way to get that Long Island title.”
