Suffolk County Playoff Preview: No. 3 Sachem East vs. No. 1 Ward Melville

Sachem East already upset one team this year when it ousted Smithtown East last week. Now, it's looking to take out Ward Melville, the Goliath of Suffolk County field hockey.

The teams will meet Thursday at 2 p.m. at Newfield High School, a neutral site, in the Class A Suffolk County Championship.

Records: No. 3 Sachem East (15-2) vs. No. 1 Ward Melville (16-1)

How they got here: Sachem beat No. 2 Smithtown East, 1-0, in the Suffolk County semifinals. The Arrows also shutout No. 6 Bay Shore, 2-0, in the quarterfinals after having a first round bye.

Ward Melville narrowly beat No. 8 Sachem North, 1-0, in the quarterfinals and ousted No. 5 Northport, 3-0, in the semifinals.

The difference makers: Ward Melville's Abby Beltrani is second on Long Island in scoring with 31 points. The only games she didn't record a point in were a non-league contest against Long Island power Garden City and the season-opener against Northport.

Goalie Lauren Tarantino has recorded 11 shutouts this year and is a shoe-in for All-County and All-Long Island honors.

Sachem is led by a handful of key role players, but look for Katie Trombetta, Jill Donodeo and goalie Jordan Miller to step it up in the title game.

Keep this in mind: Ward Melville has only allowed six teams to score this season and both Sachem schools are among that figure. Sachem East, however, is the only school besides Garden City to score more than one goal. Trombetta, who scored the game-winning goal against Smithtown in the semis, scored both goals against the Patriots in their match-up on Oct. 27.