Undefeated Sayville two wins away from another state title

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The celebration was buoyant but brief. The reset button came quickly.

After rallying from a halftime deficit to defeat South Side in the Long Island championship and win its second Class C title in three years, Sayville allowed itself only a brief moment to savor the accomplishment.

“I think we are just going to celebrate this tonight, and then it’s back to practice,” senior attacker Sophia Buffardi told Greater Long Island after Sunday’s game at Stony Brook University. “We will hit the reset button and get ready for the next challenge on Friday.”

For the undefeated Golden Flashes, that challenge is another trip to SUNY Cortland for the final weekend of the season.

At 19-0, Sayville enters the state Final Four as one of the nation’s top-ranked teams and the only undefeated girls lacrosse team remaining in New York. Two more wins would give the Golden Flashes their second state championship in three seasons.

A favorite to win it all before the season began, Sayville’s résumé already places it among New York’s elite programs, regardless of classification. The Golden Flashes own victories this season over Penfield and Victor from the Rochester area — two programs that have also advanced to the state Final Four in Classes A and B. Sayville is also the highest-ranked public school team in the state.

But none of that guaranteed Sunday’s result.

Facing a South Side team determined to extend its season, Sayville found itself in an unfamiliar position, trailing by a goal at halftime. The Golden Flashes never panicked.

“We just hit the reset button at the half,” Buffardi said. “We were calm. We just wanted to go back to playing the way we know we can.”

They did exactly that.

Senior Jenna Messina tied the game just 30 seconds into the third quarter, and 28 seconds later senior Carly Cangelosi gave the Golden Flashes their first lead of the afternoon. Sayville never trailed again and held the Cyclones to just one second-half goal.

Head coach Gary Jensen said the victory was more about toughness than style.

“Some wins are pretty, some are gritty,” Jensen said.

The reward is another opportunity on the state’s biggest stage.

Sayville will face Rye in the state semifinals at 2 p.m. Friday in Cortland, a familiar postseason opponent. The Golden Flashes defeated the Garnets in the 2024 state championship game on their way to the program’s first state title.

Now comes the challenge of finishing the job once again.

Because the mission is not finished.

Top: Sayville High School girls lacrosse players celebrate their Long Island championship and win its second Class C title in three years. (Credit: GLI/Andrew Rappaport)