Off the field, it’s all teamwork between the FDNY and NYPD. New York’s Finest and Bravest, they are the men and women who work together to protect and support our communities every day. On the field though, things go a little differently. The two organizations compete in just about every sport you can imagine, from baseball to gaelic football, and of course lacrosse. It was only fitting that the heated, physical Battle of the Badges would need more than regulation to settle. Early in overtime, the NYPD’s Detective Harry Hughes snuck in a goal as he was being hit on an inside roll at the goal line, securing a 9-8 win.
The game was hotly contested throughout. FDNY got out to an early 2-0 lead, but the NYPD battled back with a 4-0 run to take a lead in the first quarter. FDNY grabbed a goal just before half time, but the NYPD led 6-4 at the break. As the halftime horn sounded, there was yet another instance of players shoving and jawing, including a helmet getting pulled off, as the teams were separated.
“Every time we play this game, it’s got that. I tell everyone it’s got that college playoff game atmosphere. No matter where we’re playing. Hofstra, Field of Dreams, Mitchell Field, wherever we are, its an intense game. We saw that today. We were down, we battled and our team has really come a long way. Losing sucks, that’s a tough game,” said FDNY Firefighter JT Prior.
“I had to raise my level to match their level. You could easily walk into this and go hey, it’s one of those games where you just go out there…no. I went down to that practice, this meant everything to them. Which in turn made it mean everything to me. I could not let them down walking on their bus today. This is USA Canada, it’s Green Beret Navy Seal, it’s the national championship game,” said FDNY Head Coach Seth Tierney, who had his father’s firefighter helmet with him for the day.
"I've been in that rivalry of Army Navy a couple time, so I expected some of the jawing and some of the stuff because it's a similar rivalry. Not animosty, because it gets heated, but compete at such a high level because of the respect back and forth," said NYPD Coach Justin Turri.
In the second half, NYPD pulled out to an 8-4 lead late in the third, and it looked like they had taken control of the game. But the FDNY would shut them out for the remainder of regulation, battling back with strong midfield dodges to find open shooters. They took a timeout with 1:23 to play for Coach Seth Tierney to draw up a play, and they executed. With the game tied at 8 and a minute to go, FDNY had seized momentum.
The NYPD had multiple looks at goal in the final minute, but the FDNY defense held and forced OT. The NYPD won the opening faceoff, and the FDNY never saw the ball. A goal was scored on the first possession, giving NYPD the win in Battle of the Badges.
“In that huddle at the end, we said why win it in regulation when you have the chance to win it overtime,” said Turri.
There was more to this than just the game on the field. With the anniversary of 9/11 coming this week, players and coaches reflected on how special it is to play this game.
“This was amazing. Playing September 11th weekend for those who made the ultimate sacrifice, a lot of people on this field were kids when 9/11 happened, but now we’re no longer kids, we’re walking in those shoes,” said NYPD attackman Joe Tierney.
“You don’t want to take anything for granted. I’ve had conversations with my team about it. It means a lot for them to get away from work, away from the media and what goes on around the country every day, and just get together and play lacrosse,” Tierney said.
“I had the privilege to work with Detective Jonathan Diller, who was shot and killed on March 25th, 2024. Life goes to a pause for some families. When you’re out on the field, you’re playing the sport with the people you love, you can never take anything for granted because you never know what’s going to happen at work. You never know when your last day is at work. You always have a positive mindset, so every single day you get back on the field, it’s a way to get away from that stuff,” said Joe Tierney.
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