Bayport-Blue Point girls lacrosse takes championship

Bayport-Blue Point meeting up with Sayville in the girls lacrosse Suffolk Class C final seemed inevitable from the start of the spring. But no one would have expected the first 18 minutes to play out as they did.

Bayport-Blue Point scored the game’s first six goals as the Phantoms dominated the majority of the first half. These two programs had three straight one-score differentials over their previous three matchups over the last two years, so one team controlling the other from the opening whistle was unexpected.

Even Bayport-Blue Point coach Ryan Gick admitted he never could have imagined that start. But he could tell early on Saturday that his players were ready to be excellent.

“I have so much belief in our kids and they showed from the second they stepped in the gym today that they had a mentality that they weren’t walking off the field without a win,” Gick said. “And you saw it. Clutch plays in big moments.”

Top-seeded Bayport-Blue Point defeated No. 2 Sayville, 9-7, in the girls lacrosse Suffolk Class C championship at Smithtown West High School on Saturday after losing to Sayville in last year’s county final.

“We knew we had to come out strong this game and do what we do because we didn’t come out like ourselves last time,” senior midfielder Ava Meyn said. “We wanted a strong start and that really fueled us for the rest of the game.”

Meyn had four goals and an assist, Aubrie Eisfeld had three goals and an assist and Sara Richardt added two goals for the Phantoms.

Bayport-Blue Point (17-1) plays South Side (16-3) in the Long Island Class C championship in a state Class C subregional at Adelphi on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Sayville finished 14-4.

The Phantoms led 6-2 at halftime and 7-2 entering the fourth quarter. Savyille scored four of the first five goals of the fourth quarter to cut Bayport-Blue Point’s lead to 8-6 with 3:34 left before Richardt scored to give the Phantoms a 9-6 lead with 2:11 left as Bayport-Blue Point won its fifth county title over the last six years.

“[Sayville is] a championship team, they weren’t going to not come back on us,” Gick said. “We talked about it at halftime that they were going to get their goals, they were going to get their chances, they’re too darn good for us to stop them the whole time. But we had some big plays in big moments and that’s how you win championships.”

And reclaiming that championship was the team’s goal all spring.

“We’ve been waiting for this moment ever since that last play last season,” Meyn said. “We’ve worked really hard all season to come in strong, and we did, and here we are with a county championship win.”

Bayport-Blue Point has talked about last year’s championship loss to Sayville at different points throughout the season, including the day before the game. The players also had some reminders Saturday morning.

“We had a few of [last year’s seniors] text us and say, ‘Go beat them, do it for us,’ so we definitely had some motivation to do it,” Meyn said. “We had a lot of people having our backs and helping us.”

“We are so determined as a team,” Eisfeld said. “Everyone is 100% percent in and it’s showing.”

But the Phantoms remain on a quest to claim their second Long Island and state Class C titles over the last three years, and they are focused on that next step.

“This group wants to leave their own legacy, leave their own history at Bayport,” Gick said. “And we’re excited for the opportunity at it.”