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CICERO, N.Y. - Krista Servedio answered the call from teammate and good friend Allie OMara when she was a freshman.
OMara came to Servdeio and told her that the Lakeland junior varsity field hockey team needed a goalie. OMara, who had never played field hockey, agreed to join the team and after one year, made the Lakeland varsity her sophomore year.
Servedio spent the next two years as a willing student, learning to hone her craft under the tuteledge of starting goalie Amanda DiDomizio, whojust had an outstanding freshman year at Colgate. Servedio, a senior, has been the starter this season and a major factor in Lakeland making a third consecutive trip to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class B state final four.
The two-time defending champions will play Section 3 titlist Camden in a semifinal, Saturday, 1:30 p.m., at Cicero-North Syracuse High School. The other semi will have Maine-Endwell (Section 4) playing Garden City (Section 8). The semi-final winners meet in the final, Sunday, noon.
The Hornets, making their sixth state final four since 2003 and 11th overall, will be looking to make history as the first Section 1 field hockey team to win three state titles in-a-row. Last year, Lakeland defeated Garden City, 2-0, to win its second consecutive state final and Section 1-leading fifth overall.
My freshman year I practiced and worked with Liz Gonzalez and Leah DeSisto and I was friends with Amanda, from playing softball with her. My sophomore year, Amanda taught me all of the skills I needed to know and made me feel confident. She was always there for me and really helped me improve.
DiDomizio has remained in touch with Servedio throughout the season, sending her text messages and giving her a call to see how she is doing. Amanda and I played summer league and at her last game, she gave me confidence when she told me I could do the job, Servedio said.
Servedio was not tested much this season, based on Lakelands superb defense, but when she was, the senior goalie was a wall. Servedio stood out in the 4-0 win over Rye in the sectional final. The Garnets had some quality scoring opportunities in the first half, only to be thwarted by Servedio.
Leading 1-0 in the second half, Servedio made consecutive fine saves on an Annie VanWagenen shot and subsequent rebound. Thirty seconds later, Lakeland scored. Servedio said that returning to the state final four for a third time is just as sweet.
She remembered the seniors jubilation after winning the 2009 state title. As a sophomore, going to states that year was an amazing feeling and then watching the seniors, to see them so excited when we won, it made so excited to be there, Servedio said. This is our last shot, as seniors, and we hope to make it three consecutive state championships.
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