Riverdale fans join in the dogpile after the final horn. (JOSEPH STASZEWSKI)
Riverdale didn’t forget what happened the last time it played in overtime against Poly Prep.
Jessica Dahldorf broke for goal and scored with no time remaining to hand the Falcons’ their only loss of the season. Despite the Blue Devils rallying to tie the score with just more than three minutes to play, Riverdale wasn’t about to give them any chance to deny what it had worked all season for.
“When they tied it we were like, ‘No way — we are not doing that again,’” senior midfielder Mia Hopper said.
Classmate Zoe Michas wasn’t having any of it either.
She scored the winning goal on a restart and stole a potential Poly Prep clearing pass to ensure top-seeded Riverdale’s 13-11 victory over the second-seeded Blue Devils in the NYSAISAA girls lacrosse championship game Wednesday night at Manhattanville College in Purchase, N.Y. It is The Bronx school’s first-ever title and it snaps Poly’s nine-game winning streak.
“There are 11 seniors on this team,” Michas said. “This is the only way I would have wanted to leave.”
There was no hesitation when the whistle blew and she charged the cage. The last time the two teams meet she put a shot off Poly goalie Ana-Lisa Westfield’s helmet. There was no doubt she was aiming low and scored with 1:45 left in the game. After Michas’ steal, Lindsay Picard then scored off a pass from Aliza Green to give the Falcons a 13-11 lead with 1:10 remaining.
“Michas, there is a little switch,” Riverdale coach Carol Pouliot said. “When she gets [upset] and thinks something needs to get done, she gets it done.”
Her team finally achieved the ultimate goal after establishing itself as one of the city’s best girls lacrosse teams. Last year Riverdale (17-1) reached its first ever NYSAIS semifinal and this year won its first outright Ivy League crown. Poly (14-4) ruined its chance for a perfect season, like the majority of the girls experienced with the soccer team in the fall, but it could not spoil the championship run.
“It makes it a lot sweeter, especially the way that loss was,” senior attack Katherine Coles said.
Coles led Riverdale with four goals, Picard had three and Michas and Madeline Hopper each added two. Kayla Metelenis tallied three goals and an assist for Poly and Dahldorf and Kailin Twomey both had two goals. Riverdale made a defensive adjustment by taking away Sam Domurat starting transition at midfield and put a taller defender on Metelenis.
“In that last game [Domurat] would get the ball at the midfield and charge to goal,” Pouliot said.
Riverdale took control of the game right from the start, quickly grabbing a 3-0 lead in the first five minutes. The Blue Devils never led, but got within 3-2 before Coles scored two straight goals and Picard added a score with 2:25 remaining to help extend the lead to 7-4 at the break.
With each Poly push, a Riverdale response followed. The Brooklyn squad closed within 7-6 on goals from Twomey and Metelenis. Riverdale got goals from Coles and Madeline Hopper before the Blue Devils again got within one at 9-8 when Dahldorf scored on a restart with 9:48 to play.
But immediately off the faceoff, Mia Hopper, who had just taken a penalty, raced down the right sideline for a goal and Clara Miles scored to make it 11-8 with 7:30 left to play. Riverdale goalie Brittany Brown had a huge point-blank stop with 4:11 left in the game. The Blue Devils finally got even with 3:11 remaining when Dahldorf, Metelenis and Asia Colander found the back of the net.
“I definitely thought we had it,” Twomey said. “I thought we were going to win.”
Instead it was Riverdale that came up with the late-game heroics. Pouliot was so excited that she nearly ran onto the field with time remaining on the clock before leading the charge to midfield. There she and her team mobbed each other before being engulfed by their fans from the other sidelines. It was a scene and feeling four years in the making.
“This year we were we ready,” Michas said. “We were ready since Day One. … I cannot imagine a better feeling. I almost felt better than winning the soccer championship because this is leaving a mark on Riverdale.”