Girls lacrosse: James I. O'Neill defends Class D championship, behind Alberici's 7 goals

WEST POINT — She's a big puzzle piece to the O'Neill girls lacrosse team offense. And freshman Bella Alberici showed why.

No. 1 James I. O'Neill defeated No. 2 Red Hook, 19-7, in the Section 9 Class D girls lacrosse championship at James I. O'Neill High School on Thursday, behind Alberici's seven goals. This was the second consecutive year O'Neill has won the section title.

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The game opened with both teams trading goals, as Red Hook's Yianna Giannoulis knotted the score at two, less than seven minutes in. But it was all O'Neill from there. Alberici took matters into her own hands, scoring four straight goals all by herself in a little over 12 minutes of the first half. She would notch her 100th career varsity goal late in the second half, and has only been on the varsity team for two seasons.

“Obviously, she’s an amazing scorer, but she brings so much to the field other than that, too, with her draws," O'Neill coach Katie Chrest Erbe said. "Just the chemistry that I think all of those players have on the offensive side of the ball is just incredible. And Bella reaps the rewards of a lot of unselfish play. She’s a great finisher and a heck of a player.”

Following the game, Alberici credited her teammates and took notice of teammate Mallory Sheldon's new-found 'crease-roll.' Sheldon added three goals in the win. And Kate Feldman said the team has "come a long way."

What it means

In their only meeting of the regular season, James I. O'Neill bested Red Hook, 15-8, on April 27. O'Neill will face the Section 2 winner in a subregional matchup at Rondout Valley High School on June 1 at 6:30 p.m.

Player of the game

Bella Alberici put on a show, scoring a game-high seven goals, including her 100th career varsity goal late in the second half.

By the numbers

No. 1 James I. O'Neill (13-4)  — Alberici scored seven goals, but many others contributed as well. Kate Feldman recorded four goals. Mallory Sheldon added three goals. Daisy West and Victoria Evangelista each had two. Kiera Crowell notched one. Molly Kelly made five saves.

No. 2 Red Hook (5-7) — Jordan Lee scored a team-high three goals. Stasia and Yannia Giannoulis each added two goals. Mary Hart stood strong in net.

Quotable

“I think we played great and we had a lot of great moments. We hustled in the ride and in transition. The great thing is that we played great and the kids really stayed focused, they stayed mentally-present, and were able to put their foot on the gas in this game. But I think we do have room to improve, which is always just a great sign as a coach. That’s what you want to see.” - O'Neill coach Katie Chrest Erbe on what went well for the team in defending the Class D title.

MKramer1@th-record.com

Twitter: @MKramerTHR

This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Section 9 girls lacrosse: O'Neill defends Class D championship