WESTCHESTER — Torrential rain and a rocky start wouldn’t stand in the way of the Bayport-Blue Point girls lacrosse team’s goal of leaving a legacy this season.

The Phantoms, who earned the state Class C title in 2023, fell short of a trip to the state championships last season. So when they trailed by three after the first quarter on Saturday to Section I’s Nyack, the sixth-ranked team in the nation according to USA Lacrosse, they knew that they had to turn things around in order to recapture the state crown.

Bayport-Blue Point rallied and scored eight unanswered goals to defeat undefeated Nyack, 15-9, in the state Class C regional girls lacrosse championship at Lakeland High School. 

“Even when we were down at first, we knew it wasn’t over for us,” senior Aubrie Eisfeld said. “We didn’t get down, we started playing as a team and it progressively got better for us throughout the game.”

Bayport-Blue Point (19-1) will face Section III's Jamesville-DeWitt in a state semifinal game on Friday at SUNY Cortland.

Senior Ava Meyn, who was a sophomore on the 2023 state-championship winning team, scored three of her five goals during the Phantoms’ 8-0 run. The Maryland commit said that thinking about the feeling of falling short last season helped motivate her.

“Coming from 2023 and winning states and everything was perfect, to losing in counties last year was really difficult,” Meyn said. “Being a senior and this being my last opportunity, that really fueled me when we were down.”

Eisfeld had three goals and one assist, Erika Kreuscher had two goals and two assists and Sara Richardt had one goal and two assists.

“This team is just so special,” Eisfeld said. “We’re so connected, and we don’t want it to end now. We’re ready to finish this and leave our legacy with Bayport-Blue Point.”

Goalie Sophia Diaz made nine saves, including two crucial stops at the end of the second quarter that prevented Nyack (19-1) from the tying the score.

“We are so confident having Sophia in the cage,” sophomore defender Olivia Brady said. “We not only trust that she’ll get a foot or stick on the ball, but she brings such an electric energy to our defense.”

The Phantoms trailed 3-0 in the first quarter before Eisfeld got them on the board. But BBP found itself in a 5-2 hole at the end of the opening period after winning only one draw control.

“We were getting dominated at the draw circle in that first quarter,” coach Ryan Gick said. “We knew we needed to make some adjustments. We knew we were capable of scoring on them, and it was a matter of us stopping them defensively.”

Then, just like that, something clicked about halfway through the second quarter. BBP trailed 7-4 with 7:14 remaining before halftime, but a goal by Richardt lit a spark. And for the next 16 1/2 minutes, it was all Bayport-Blue Point.

“We adjusted our defense a little bit, trying out some different options,” Brady said. “Once we figured out what worked, our defense was really strong and we were able to make stops and convert on offense.”