Garden City Girls' Soccer Claims Nassau Class AA Title!
Some teams need to experience defeat before they can find success. While no one wishes to be one of those teams, the lessons learned from a loss can pave the way for a brighter future. The Garden City girls soccer team had absorbed enough lessons. Trailing by a goal at halftime in Friday night’s Nassau Class AA final at Farmingdale State College, the Trojans were determined to avoid a third consecutive year without a county title. Meaghan Lynch scored the equalizer just over 10 minutes into the second half, and less than three minutes later, Sienna Castellano netted the winning goal, leading top-seeded Garden City to a 2-1 victory over second-seeded South Side. This marked their first county title since 2016. “Everyone was thinking about the last two years coming into this game,” Lynch said. “Losing in overtime to South Side last year was incredibly painful, and we didn’t want to feel that again. We used that motivation and fought hard.” With a record of 15-1-4, Garden City will face West Islip in the Long Island Class AA championship at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Hofstra. “We just wanted to play our own game,” Lynch explained. “We’ve scored a lot this season and have made comebacks before, so we focused on staying calm and keeping our eyes on the goal.” Lynch scored the tying goal after receiving a pass from Chloe Benik. She dribbled from left to right along the 18-yard line and, spotting an opening, decided to take the shot. The ball found the bottom-left corner of the net with 29:44 remaining in the second half. “I wasn’t really aiming; it just happened to go in,” Lynch said. “That was probably the most thrilling moment of my entire career. I’ve scored before, but nothing compares to that.” “Psychologically, it lifted a huge weight off our shoulders,” said coach Scott McAuley. “We knew we were back in the game.” Castellano’s go-ahead goal was a result of sheer determination. After a shot from LeeLee Gaffney struck the post, Castellano chased down the loose ball and converted the rebound with 26:52 left in the second half. “I knew I just had to keep getting to the front of the goal and keep running, and she delivered the perfect ball,” Castellano said. “I just had to tap it in.” “This is the best feeling after three years of falling short,” said junior goalkeeper Marisa Patrissi, who made six saves on Friday and also played in the last two county championship losses. “From our summer training, this was our goal. Winning against South Side for redemption from last year makes it even better.” The girls' soccer win is their first since 2016. It also is the second time (1996) in Trojan history in which both boys' and girls won titles in the same year.