Sometimes you just need a freshman to have a good day, and on Sunday in the Independent School League field hockey championship game, Stone Ridge’s Annie Luongo had a good day.

Looking for their first postseason title since 2019, the second-seeded Gators defeated top-seeded Georgetown Visitation, 1-0, at Episcopal High in Alexandria courtesy of a second-quarter goal by Luongo.

After failing to convert on back-to-back penalty corner attempts early in the second frame, Stone Ridge (14-3) finally sneaked a shot past Visitation goalie Shea Keating on its third try.

Senior captain Corey White delivered a pass to the top of the shooting circle. The ball popped loose to Luongo, who ripped a low shot that deflected off a Cubs defender and past Keating, who was otherwise flawless.

“I’m just so proud of this team,” Stone Ridge Coach Gloria Nantulya said. “They worked their butts off. They wanted this more than I think they wanted anything else this season.”

Luongo, who came off the bench Sunday afternoon, has spent time in and out of the lineup because of a penchant for picking up yellow cards, Nantulya said.

For junior Hallie Slidell, a Davidson commit, seeing Luongo as the difference-maker against Visitation (12-4-1, 12-1-1) was special.

“It’s just exciting seeing the younger girls who are, like, beginning to get their confidence on the team score that goal,” Slidell said. “ … You see their confidence grow and you see the excitement on their face.”

Stone Ridge had previously lost to Visitation, the regular season champion, 3-2, in overtime in October, when Cubs senior Mary Williams scored a hat trick.

On Sunday, the Gators made sure to lean on their defense and standout goalie Tayla Williams.

Both teams entered with impressive numbers. Visitation ­(12-4-1), which has won the regular season or postseason title each of the past three years, boasted a plus-27 goal differential; Stone Ridge sat at ­plus-35. On defense, both teams conceded just seven goals in league play.

Visitation Coach Haley Bowcutt, who played at American University and is in her first year in charge of the varsity team — she previously coached junior varsity — credited Stone Ridge’s defense for limiting her side.

“Just a little bit more urgency, a little bit more hunger getting to the ball,” Bowcutt said of what the difference was Sunday. “They were swarming it, and it was making it hard to find options when they’re putting three or four people right on the ball.”

With a vastly improved conference compared with recent years — more players are arriving at their high school teams with field hockey experience at the club level — Stone Ridge challenged itself with a difficult schedule, including games against nationally ranked Archbishop Spalding and Garrison Forest. Though they lost both, the Gators felt prepared for big games.

Also helping the Gators feel ready Sunday: White’s family hosted a breakfast for the players and coaches, a tradition that last occurred when the team won in 2019.

“We’re all together, and it’s all just very special — spending the entire day together and then coming out here and playing as a team definitely helps,” White said.