Manhasset tops Garden City on Katie Farrer's goal in battle of Nassau Class B field hockey powers
Manhasset players celebrate a goal by Katie Farrer (5) in the first quarter of their game against Garden City at Garden City on Monday. Credit: Joe Orovitz
Garden City and Manhasset have a storied history across multiple sports. Field hockey is no different.
They’re two programs that continue to raise each other’s standards. This time, for the first time since 2023, Manhasset came out on top. A first-quarter goal was the difference in a 1-0 victory at Garden City Monday morning.
“The girls were ready for this,” said Manhasset coach Danielle Groneman. “We have a lot of skill, a lot of talent, which we’ve had in the past, but this group is just gritty. We’ll see [Garden City] again, but this is a big deal and a great way to start our season.”
Eden Randall, who led Long Island in assists with 19 last season, picked up right where she left off. Less than five minutes into the first quarter, Randall sent an aerial pass from the right post to the left, where Katie Farrer was waiting to deflect the ball into the cage.
In their last meeting, Manhasset fell 1-0 to the Trojans in the Nassau Class B championship. This time around, Randall said she and her team are playing with something to prove.
“Me and Katie were the ones who scored against Garden City last year, but it didn’t go the way we wanted,” Randall said. “This year, from day one, we've been saying we want to go all the way and I think today we proved just that.”
After the early score, Manhasset’s defense took over. The unit didn’t allow Garden City to draw a penalty corner until 11 minutes into the third quarter. Even then, Manhasset’s strong defense, anchored by goalkeeper Annie Spina, continuously turned the momentum back in the ’Set’s direction.
“We came into this game wanting to score first so we can let our ‘D’ settle in,” Groneman said. “We were hoping for some insurance later in the game, but we relied on our defense and one goal was enough today.”
Now 2-0, Farrer said she hopes the momentum of a strong start will carry her team through the rest of the season. Manhasset will meet the Trojans (1-1) again in the final regular season matchup on Oct. 20.
“We were only one goal away twice last season,” Farrer said. “We were so close and we just wanted to come into this season with a bang. It means the world that we did it here on this field. We set the tone for the season.”
Tess Ferguson is a reporter on Newsday's high school sports staff. She joined the team after graduating with a journalism degree from Ithaca College in 2025.
