Ava DeMarco strikes twice to send Northport girls soccer to state Class AA semifinals
Northport hoists the trophy after defeating Horseheads during a state girls soccer Southeast Regional final on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, at Chenango Valley High School. Credit: Jack Henry
Ava DeMarco has a thing for big games like this.
The senior forward scored two goals to help lead Northport to a 3-1 win over Horseheads in the girls soccer state Class AA regional final at Chenango Valley High School in Binghamton on Saturday. Northport (17-2) will face a familiar foe — West Islip — in the state semifinals at Dryden High School at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
DeMarco gave the Tigers all the momentum they needed in just the second minute. Senior midfielder Finnley Wickard placed a ball over the top of the defense, and DeMarco beat Horseheads’ backline to it before burying it in the bottom-left corner. The early lead allowed Northport to settle in and play its typical dominant brand of soccer.
“I just know that not every game is guaranteed,” DeMarco said. “Once you go out there, especially where we’re at right now, it’s now or never. This is my senior year, and we’ve fallen short every time, and I just know that I want to finish it out for the team and the coaches this year.”
Senior forward Caitlin Cocks scored in the 36th minute to double the lead, and DeMarco added another goal from the top of the 18-yard box in the 48th minute to seal it. Both goals came off assists from senior midfielder Riley Cash.
Horseheads (10-5-1) broke up the shutout in the 66th minute, but it was too little, too late.
“I’ve been playing with all these girls since third grade,” Cash said. “It feels so amazing to get to this point with everyone. This definitely gives me a lot of confidence, because I just want to help my team. I know there’s not much time left for me to be playing on this team, or even soccer in general, so I definitely just want to give everything to my team that I can.”
Now standing in Northport’s way is a rematch of the Suffolk Class AA championship game. On Oct. 31, the Tigers defeated West Islip on its own home field, 3-1, to capture the sectional title.
No matter how the rematch goes, Northport coach Aija Gipp is happy to get additional time with her players.
“This season has been a culmination of the last four years, and watching them grow together,” she said. “It’s such a beautiful way to end their journey. Getting a full season with them all the way up to states is a dream, because I could coach these girls every day for the rest of my career. So, being able to just be with them for as many days as possible is amazing.”
Mike Anderson is a high school sports reporter who has covered 12 sports so far at Newsday. He was the sports editor of Stony Brook University's campus newspaper for two years.
