Wantagh holds off Manhasset for title

It took two days but was well worth the wait for Wantagh’s girls’ lacrosse program.

The Warriors withstood a 16-hour weather delay and top-seeded Manhasset’s desperate fourth-quarter rally to capture the Nassau Class C championship, 11-10, at Adelphi University’s Motamed Field Thursday afternoon.

Senior Sienna Diglio and junior Juliana Cerasi scored three goals apiece and juniors Riley Forthofer and Isabella Santiago both netted a pair as Wantagh won its first county title since 2017 and snapped the Indians’ streak of five straight crowns.

The game was halted Wednesday night due to severe weather with 6:56 remaining in the third quarter and with No. 2 Wantagh clinging to a 7-5 lead after Manhasset scored the first three goals of the second half in a span of 59 seconds.

“I felt the delay stopped their momentum and allowed us to reset,” said Cerasi, who won a dozen draws including the key restart faceoff when play resumed with Wantagh shorthanded. “We’ve been a really good man-down team all year and it was so important to win the draw and score first,” she added. “We didn’t want them to make it 7-6.”

It was Cerasi who made it 8-5.

“That kid is unbelievable,” Wantagh coach Lauren Ruppert said. “She does anything asked of her and does everything well. As much fun as she has out there, she’s all business.”

Forthofer and sophomore Sabrina Asudurian also scored in the third quarter as the Warriors (12-4) took a 10-7 lead into the fourth.

“I think I slept three hours last night,” Ruppert said. “I just told the girls to play their game and play like they did in the first half and not get frustrated. They kept their composure and were in a zone.”

Diglio’s goal 4:21 into the fourth quarter upped Wantagh’s lead to 11-7, but shutting the door on the five-time defending champions was far from easy. Four of senior goaltender Amanda Coppola’s five saves came in the final 18:56 after play resumed.

“It was an insane ending,” Ruppert said. “We overcame some penalties and two big Manhasset rallies. They play so fast on offense and that momentum is hard to stop. I’m so proud we were able to do it. It’s a great accomplishment for the program.”

The Indians (11-6) got within a goal for the first time since Cerasi’s game-opening score with 1:42 remaining in regulation on a Shea Panzik tally. It was the only goal of the game for one of Nassau’s leading scorers, who had 44 goals and 21 assists.

Ruppert used sophomore Katelyn Baudo to faceguard Panzik, who had four goals in Manhasset’s 12-11 regular-season victory at Wantagh April 7. “Katelyn did such an amazing job and our entire defense was aggressive and communicates so well,” she said, noting the efforts of seniors Brighid Smith, Paige Martin and Nyla Lester.

Wantagh didn’t control the game’s final draw, but Cerasi scooped up a ground ball forced by Martin and ran out the clock.

“It was scary and exciting at the same time,” Cerasi said.

The Warriors will try to win their first-ever Long Island title Saturday when they face Sayville at Longwood High School at 10 a.m.