Maiya Boughal delivers three goals as Westhampton Beach claims Suffolk Class B girls lacrosse championship
Westhampton Beach wins the Suffolk Class B girls lacrosse final against Smithtown West at Stony Brook University on Sunday. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
Three and a half weeks ago, Westhampton had a 5-8 record, had lost five straight games and was on the verge of missing the girls lacrosse playoffs.
But the hard times led to a turnaround and a big reward: a county championship.
“That rough patch helped us grow as a team,” said Maiya Boughal, who scored three goals as No. 4 Westhampton defeated No. 2 Smithtown West, 13-9, in the Suffolk Class B championship game at Stony Brook on Sunday.
“The best memories come out of something that is hard,’’ Boughal added. “We were resilient, supported each other and came together.”
Westhampton (10-8) will face Garden City (17-2) for the Long Island Class B championship at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday at Stony Brook. It will be a rematch of the 2022 Long Island title game, which Westhampton won, 6-5, in six overtimes.
“Early in May, we were just hoping to make the playoffs,” Westhampton coach Mary Bergmann said.
“All credit to them. We dug ourselves out of that skid. They believed 100%, and today they never put their heads down.”
The score was tied 6-6 at halftime, but in the third quarter, the Hurricanes took over.
“We always had momentum in this game,” said Ava Derby, who had a goal and five assists. “Our energy was the most important thing. Mia Brown made saves and we all stayed connected the whole game.”
Eighth-grader Mackenzie Klammer scored two goals, including a free-position shot that went top shelf to give Westhampton a 9-6 lead with 4:36 remaining in the third quarter.
Ashley Mennella scored her third goal for Smithtown West (10-6) to trim the deficit to two with 1:41 left in the third quarter.
Brown made a save on a free-position attempt and added another clutch stop early in the fourth quarter to maintain the lead.
“She comes up big for us in big games,” Bergmann said. “Without her, that score isn’t the same.”
Derby scored for Westhampton before finding Tierney McEntee for a behind-the-back finish.
McEntee added another goal as Westhampton built a 12-7 lead with 5:13 remaining and secured its first Suffolk title since 2022.
