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“It’s not an upset. It’s a statement win.”
Moments after the Huntington girls lacrosse team captured the first state championship in program history Saturday at SUNY Cortland, senior Jolie Weinschreider wanted to make one thing clear.
The Blue Devils hadn’t spent the season hoping to surprise anyone.
They expected to be here.
That confidence showed throughout a championship game that repeatedly tested Huntington. Penfield scored in the closing seconds of the first half to take a 5-4 lead, then moved back in front late in the third quarter.
Each time, Huntington responded.
And when the game was on the line, the Blue Devils leaned on the formula that had carried them all season: trust in one another and a defense capable of shutting down even the state’s best teams.
“We believe in each other more than anyone else believes in us,” Weinschreider told Greater Long Island.
That belief fueled a dominant second-half defensive performance. After allowing five goals in the opening half, Huntington held Penfield to just one over the final 24 minutes and shut out the defending champions in the fourth quarter.
When the final horn sounded, the Blue Devils stood tall with a 9-6 victory.
“Our D has been on point all season,” Weinschreider said. “We really rely on the defense and our amazing goalie. She’s so phenomenal.”
Huntington was also without an important piece on the sideline. Co-head coach Chris Taylor was in Chicago for his daughter Madison’s graduation from Northwestern University.
For Huntington, the victory was more than a breakthrough. It ended a wait of more than 30 years.
The Blue Devils last reached the state title game in 1995, the inaugural year of the championship tournament.
Now, the belief that carried Huntington to the top will make for one unforgettable ride from Cortland back to Long Island.
“It’s going to be the best bus ride of our lives,” sophomore Liv Puccio told Greater Long Island. “Can’t wait to bring all these good vibes back home and start summer.”
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