Field hockey: In battle of elites, Brickman goal lifts Mamaroneck to 1-0 win over Lakeland

MAMARONECK — It may only be week one of the 2024 high school field hockey season, but Mamaroneck already looks primed for another long playoff run.

Coming off a win over traditional power Greenwich, Connecticut., the Tigers blanked Lakeland 1-0 Saturday and would have won by more except for the acrobatic exploits of Lakeland's goalie.

The defending state Class A champion , looking solid up and down the field, put 18 shots on Hornets keeper Jenna Yazzetti.

Only Lily Brickman's first-quarter shot off a penalty corner got past the junior goalie.

Takeaways

Mamaroneck dominated the first half with 12 shots on net. And while the ball spent a lot less time in Lakeland's defensive zone in the second half, the Hornets, long one of the state's top programs, didn't get many of their bread-and-butter penalty-corner chances because they rarely penetrated the Tigers' D to get into the shooting circle.

Mamaroneck finished with a 6-3 corner advantage and, in recording the shutout, Tigers goalie Penny Norgaard only had to stop four shots.

Chalk some of that up to Lakeland's youth (an eighth-grader and three ninth-graders were on the field for it for most of the game), but also to Mamaroneck's overall strength.

"They're a stronger team, deeper than us," said Lakeland coach Sharon Sarsen, who noted her squad "struggled in terms of possession skills and working off the ball."

Key plays

From early-on,, it was clear Mamaroneck had the edge. After a nice rush by Tiger defender Emma Kirwin, who had a fine game, Ruby Pearson put a good shot on net but was stopped by Yazzetti, who then stopped a follow-up chance.

About a minute and a half later, Yazzetti made a great stop off a high shot and then made a superb, sprawling save.

But Brickman's goal soon followed, coming with 7:30 left in the opening quarter.

Off a corner, the ball found her stick on the far right post and, alone, Brickman didn't hesitate and quickly put it in. Charlotte Foley picked up the assist.

Lakeland mustered a couple of corner shots, including a hard Gabby Santini chance, but Norgaard played her angles well and easily took care of them.

Before the quarter ended, Yazzetti provided more highlight reel stops, including a great diving save that she followed with a little-chance stop of an airborne shot while still down on the turf.

And Yazzetti would make two more stops she had little business making before halftime.

But Lakeland's offense was largely stymied as Kirwin and Lucy Kaplan recorded nice takeaways.

That would continue in the second half with Lexi Suman, Meredith D'Arcy, Catherine D'Arcy and Kirwin all coming up with key defensive stops.

At the same time, Yazzetti stood tall — at least figuratively. Among her very good stops was a sliding save on Brickman, who got behind the Hornets defense to come in alone.

They said it

Of Yazzetti, Sarsen said, "She steps up in big games. She likes to compete. She likes to showcase her skills."

Brickman, who praised Yazzetti's play, said it actually fueled her team's offense as it worked harder to score.

"She makes the save and we all have more energy," she said.

Brickman noted her team wants to return to the state playoffs and believes it has the players to do so.

"We definitely feel confident," she said. "Every single player on this team is a great player and can help us win."

Nancy Haggerty covers cross-country, track & field, field hockey, skiing, ice hockey, basketball, girls lacrosse and other sporting events for The Journal News/lohud. Follow her on Twitter at @HaggertyNancy .

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Field hockey: In battle of elites, Brickman goal lifts Mamaroneck to 1-0 win over Lakeland