Girls lacrosse: Martin's last-second save sends Wappingers to first Section 1 final

That moment, coach Sean Rowan said, was “pure ecstasy.” And how could it not have been for the Wappingers girls lacrosse team?

In a scene plucked straight from a movie, their season came down to the inexperienced, unheralded goalkeeper having to stop the star on the opposing team in a dramatic final sequence.

Emma Martin delivered, making a save as the final seconds ticked down Tuesday, and allowing the Warriors to escape with a 12-11 win over thirded-seeded North Rockland, earning their way to the Section 1 Class A final for the first time.

“It’s hard to put into words, but we’ve got a group of players who aren’t ready for their season to end,” Rowan said. “They played with confidence and without fear, and they saved their best performance for the biggest moment so far.”

Wappingers last year became the first Dutchess County girls lacrosse team to reach a Section 1 semifinal, and the team has now made more history with this significant step forward.

The second-seeded Warriors will face No. 1 Suffern in the final on Friday, 4 p.m. at Lakeland High School.

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“North Rockland ended our season last year, so our girls have wanted to beat them,” the coach said. “We have a lot of three-year varsity players who’ve been a big part of the program’s growth and they’ve been working for a long time toward this.”

Avery Reimer’s goal off a pass from Mackenzie Velsmid gave Wappingers a 12-9 lead with 8:56 remaining, but the Raiders rallied in the waning minutes. They threatened to force overtime when Monmouth-bound midfielder Olivia Castaldo was fouled and drew a free position with six seconds left.

A left-handed shooter positioned on the right hash, Rowan said, “it was a high-percentage shot.” But, as the whistle blew, Wappingers defenders Audrey Trick and Sade Reyes quickly collapsed on Castaldo, hastening her delivery, and she fired a low stick-side shot on goal. But Martin, who only began playing goalie last October, has learned fast and reacted in time to deflect the ball as time expired.

“The bench was going crazy cheering for her,” Rowan said of Martin, who made nine saves. “They rushed the field and it was total jubilation.”

Haley Washall, a freshman who has dazzled this season, was again dominant offensively. She scored six goals and had six draw controls for Wappingers (15-3). Velsmid, a standout midfielder, had two assists and seven draw controls. Kaylee Reaves added two goals and an assist, Ava Feliciotto scored twice, Reimer and Jill Santaroni each had a goal, and Alexa Cazzorla had an assist.

The Warriors have won their division in each of the last three seasons and the team has made incremental progress in the playoffs, advancing a round farther each year. They’ll now face their tallest task to date, taking on the defending champions and a longtime powerhouse in Suffern.

“They're very talented and it’s a great program,” Rowan said of the Mounties. “As soon as the alarm goes off (Wednesday), we’ll be preparing for them. We're excited for three more days of practice and the opportunity to compete for a championship.”

Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Girls lacrosse: Washall, Martin help Wappingers reach Section 1 final