On a cold and rainy Monday afternoon matchup, the Bay Shore Marauders hosted the Middle Country Cougars. Both teams entered this game with an 0-2 record, but the undesirable weather didn’t stop these girls from putting on a show as Middle Country had a thrilling comeback win by a final score of 9-8.
The game was full of action right out of the gate as the Marauders took a commanding 5-1 early lead. Sophia DeBonis and Jamie Demert each had a pair of goals to go along with Allegra Ryan’s goal in a strong start for Bay Shore. Middle Country kept themselves afloat after a snipe into the bottom left corner of the cage by Ella Hirsch and a free-position goal from Juliana Speziale to cut the Marauder lead down to just two.
After two unanswered by MC, Allegra Ryan scored again to cap off the first half giving Bay Shore a 6-3 lead.
Olivia Annunziata set the tone coming out of the half scoring her first of the day with Kate Timarky and Juliana Speziale following suit rifling a pair of free-position goals into the net to tie things up at six.
The Marauders kept the back-and-forth going with a quick answer on Debonis’s third goal of the day putting Bay Shore back in front 7-6. However, MC was relentless, scoring another three unanswered goals by Meghan Ippolito, Ella Hirsch and Jordynn Aguilar totaling a 9-7 lead.
The Marauders kept things interesting as Jamie Demert scored another goal with one minute to go, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Middle Country’s thrilling comeback victory. Middle Country held Bay Shore to just two goals in the second half with a stellar performance from the defensive unit.
Juliana Speziale earned the POG with three goals and an assist for a team-leading four points.
Middle Country (1-2) got their first win of the season while Bay Shore (0-3) is still looking for the first victory in this young 2023 season. Both teams will be back in action on Wednesday as MC will face off against Riverhead and Bay Shore will play against Walt Whitman.
