Sayville leaves no doubt who wears New York's girls lacrosse crown

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They left no doubt.

When the final whistle blew on Sayville’s season Saturday at SUNY Cortland, a 15-7 victory over Janesville-Dewitt High School, located just outside Syracuse, the Golden Flashes weren’t just state champions.

They were the unquestioned standard for public school girls lacrosse in New York in 2026.

A perfect 21-0 record. A second Class C state championship in three years. The only girls lacrosse team in New York state to finish undefeated.

“Every [emotion] came out of me during the final seconds of the game,” senior Sophia Buffardi told Greater Long Island. “Happiness, crying. We worked so hard for this and we were able to do it. Winning as a senior is something I always dreamt of.”

Those emotions were well-earned. Sayville didn’t just get to the top of the lacrosse mountain with a dominant weekend in the state tournament. The Golden Flashes built a resume that left little room for debate.

Early season wins over national power Victor, which went on to win its fifth straight Class B state championship, and Penfield, a Class A state finalist this season and 2025 state champ, showed the rest of New York just how great Sayville could be.

“Those two wins early on this season were such a confidence boost,” University of North Carolina commit Buffardi said. “It tested us. Yeah, it was early, but we got even better after that.”

Junior Dylan McNamara felt the same shift.

“Beating Victor and Penfield amped up our emotions and really flipped a switch in us,” McNamara said. “We knew we were going to be good this year, but that lighted a fire in us and we realized we could come back here.”

And as the season progressed, Sayville continued its dominance. There were no letdowns against some very good teams in their division.

By June, they left no doubt.

“Oh my God, I am just so overwhelmed with joy right now,” said McNamara. “Playing with my best friends who I’ve played with since fourth grade. Winning a state title with them means the world to me. I can’t even believe it’s real.”

The record books show just how real it is.

Twenty-one games. Twenty-one victories.

A second state championship in three seasons.

The best public girls lacrosse team in New York State.

Top: Sayville lacrosse players, coaches and parents celebrate the school’s state title Saturday at SUNY Cortland. (Credit: GLI/Andrew Rappaport)