By Steven Zaitz
The Ward Melville field hockey team defeated Northport 1-0 on Saturday in the Suffolk County semifinals, ending the storied career of Lady Tigers coach Gina Walling.
Peyton Phillips scored on a rare penalty stroke with two and a half minutes remaining in the game, securing the game’s only goal and sending the Lady Patriots to the county final against Sachem East on Tuesday.
Ward Melville goalkeeper Olivia Zummo held Northport scoreless, making four saves and extending her 2024 shutout streak against the Tigers to seven consecutive quarters. The teams previously met on Oct. 22, with the game ending in a 0-0 tie as officials called it due to darkness midway through the fourth quarter.
This time, bright skies lit the field on Saturday afternoon. Both teams struggled to generate scoring chances despite a healthy number of penalty corners awarded, with much of the game contested at midfield.
With 2:34 remaining in the fourth quarter, Phillips was brought down in front of Northport goalkeeper Mariselle Camillone, earning the rare penalty stroke. The two had been in this situation before: on Oct. 16, 2023, Phillips attempted a penalty stroke but was denied by Camillone. That game marked the end of Northport’s 68-game winning streak, which lasted nearly 1,000 days.
Ward Melville won that matchup 3-0, despite Camillone’s save.
This time, Phillips placed the shot — taken from only seven yards out — between Camillone’s leg pad and left blocker glove, sending it into the net. She was immediately mobbed by her teammates, a celebration that would repeat two and a half minutes later when the final whistle secured Ward Melville’s playoff victory. The Patriots had finally overcome Northport, which had eliminated them the past four years.
The game marked the final regular-season contest for longtime Northport Coach Walling, who has led the Lady Tigers for 17 years, winning multiple Coach of the Year awards, Suffolk County titles, and New York state championships in 2021 and 2022.
Ward Melville lost to Sachem East 1-0 on Tuesday, Nov. 5 in the Suffolk County Championship game. Sachem East completed their undefeated season in Section XI play with a 17-0 record. They will play the winner of Massapequa and East Meadow for the Long Island championship game on Sunday.
