LI Lacrosse Journal

Following Yesterday’s prime time matchup between Hills East and Ward Melville it is safe to say that Hills East is most definitely legit.  In a triple OT thriller that contained back and forth action with great goalie play and tons of physicality.  Even the fans were going crazy, at one point it looked as if the parents of Hills East wanted to get into a little skirmish with the Ward Melville high school kids.  I guess that’s what happens when two big-time schools face-off for the game of the week, tempers begin to flare.

Dylan Pallonetti, #34 Sophomore, netted 4 goals yesterday against Hills East. Photo taken by FLG Lacrosse, Inc.

After just barely getting by Hills East, Ward Melville managed to remain a perfect 12-0 in conference. Sophomore Dylan Pallonetti, UMass Commit, scored 4 goals showing excellent skills, great awareness, and an incredible lefty shot.  Pallonetti has a tremendous lax IQ and is one of the Patriots threats on the offensive side of the ball.  Another stud on the offensive side of the ball for the Patriots yesterday was two-way middie Eddie Munoz who netted 3 goals including the game winner in triple OT.  Munoz is a strong tough middie that also possesses great stick skills and has a knack for the back of the net. Stony Brook might just have a superstar coming there way next year.  On top of all that Perry Cassidy was outstanding in goal with 11 saves including a couple in OT to keep the Patriots alive along with Andrew Mckenna (Navy Commit) who played great lockdown defense of East’s best player, Sean Lulley.  

It was a great battle between Sean Lulley & Andrew McKenna yesterday. Lulley netted two goals and McKenna played the Penn Commit with physicality and aggressive play. Photo taken by FLG Lacrosse, Inc.

Overall the Patriots proved why they are one of the top public school programs in the nation as they were able to handle the adversity of being in a back and forth game with a school in Hills East that was very underrated.  The Patriots loved to possess the ball on offense and stick to their game plan of Pass, Pass, Dodge to break down the stellar Hills East defense. On defense the Patriots were compact and smart with their sticks and timing their checks, leading to a bunch of caused TOs.  Ultimately, their style of play allowed them to be successful even in this tough grudge match type of game.

Perry Cassidy had 11 saves on the day with several coming in OT. Perry is heading to Western Connecticut in the Fall. Photo Taken by FLG Lacrosse

Hills East, on the other hand, proved to be a force to be reckoned with even though they couldn’t capture the win.  Coming into this game no one believed Hills East even had a shot at competing with a powerhouse like Ward Melville, never less take them into a triple OT thriller.  But Hills East did just that, their defense was absolutely outstanding.  They looked like lions stalking their prey as they were causing TOs left and right and grabbed every ground ball in site.  Led by Junior Mike Gomez who is a BEAST.  This kid almost single-handedly won the game for East, you name it he does it, faceoff, get GBs, lock down the oppositions best player, and even score goals.  Yes, this kid can score, in yesterday’s matchup Gomez netted 3 goals, two coming straight off faceoff wins.  On defense he was just as good, picking up GBs like it was nothing and sticking to kids like clue when he was matching up.  Johns Hopkins might just get one of the best defensemen in the County in the next year.  

Mike Gomez was a beast yesterday. If 3 Goals and 8 face-off wins wasn’t enough, he almost won the game in OT. Photo taken by FLG Lacrosse, Inc.

On the offensive side of ball, Sean Lulley was the main threat.  The UPenn Commit has great skills and confidence along with a great physical frame.  Netting two goals in yesterday’s loss he showed off his aggressive style of play and willingness to dodge hard at the cage and even take some big hits.  Hills East proved to everyone that this team has the making to go all the way this year.  This year’s Cinderella squad is definitely Hills East so stay tuned because we are in for one crazy last month of lacrosse.                               

Today’s String King Boys Game of the Week will be between high-powered Mard Melville, who many consider being the best High School lacrosse team in the nation, and an under the radar Suffolk Class A contendor in Half Hollow Hills East.  The game should have back and forth action, with a lot of goals and big time plays.

Ward Melville is a perfect 10-0 in conference play but did suffer two close out of league losses to powerhouse programs in Chaminade and Lincoln-Sudbury.  As stated by coach Jay Negus before the start of the season “The biggest thing for us this year is sticking together and becoming a tight knit group, if the team chemistry continues to grow there are very few teams on the Island that could compete with the us” and it turns out he is exactly right.  The Patriots have dominated the competition and look to be heavy favorites to take the Suffolk Class A County Championship.  They are led by a big core group of guys and have a boat load of big commits that include Navy (Andrew Mckenna), Army (Liam Davenport), UPenn (Michael Giaquinto), Cornell (Andrew Lockhard), and more.  Since they suffered no big time losses from last season to this one, they are stacked with both talent and depth.  Every single kid on this team can play and be a force to be reckoned with, which is why they are undefeated on the season so far.  Hills East will be in for a tough game if they don’t play at peak performance.

Yet if they can manage to play at their best Hills East can be deadly.  They are most definitely not the favorite to win today’s matchup, but they can definitely put up a fight and maybe shock the Island.  Currently, they sit at 10-2 (9-1 in Conference play) had have proven the doubters that they should not be slept on.  Falling out of the top 4 in the preseason rankings really riled up the East squad as they are looking to dethrone the champs.  Led by Dillon Studdert (24 points), Sean Lulley (63 points), and Ryan Doran (38 points) East can definitely stand there own.  They like to play fast and catch teams off guard, but that will not be an easy task against a very discipline Melville team. In today’s match-up, Hills’ keys to winning will be the face-offs, limiting turnovers, consistent goalie play, and winning the ground ball battle. It’s back to fundamentals for the T-Birds, which is exactly how Coach Gordy Hodgeson teaches his boys to play.

Location: Ward Melville High School – 380 Old Town Rd, Setauket- East Setauket, NY 11733

Home Team: Ward Melville

Start Time: 4:30pm

Weather: 

When it comes to Suffolk High School girls lacrosse, Eastport South Manor and Mt. Sinai are two towns that should immediately come to mind. Both schools are absolute powerhouses, and they are drawing off today at 6 pm on the turf stadium field of Eastport South Manor Junior-Senior High School. 

As for Mt Sinai, they are 8-2 on the year with two one-goal losses.  They have consistently played great lacrosse and have their eyes on the prize, which is winning that 3rd straight State Championship.  Mt. Sinai is loaded with experience and talent, hoping that they can lead this team to a Championship Weekend.  Mount Sinai is led by Hannah VanMiddelen (Senior Syracuse Commit), Emily Vengilio  (Senior Penn State Commit), Megan Tyrrell (Junior Syracuse Commit), and Megan Scutaro (Junior Notre Dame Commit).  With experience and big time commits, Mt Sinai has proven that they are not to be messed with.  They play fast and work the ball great in transition. As the saying goes, “offensive wins games, but defense wins championships.” Well, averaging just over 4 goals against per game, it’s safe to say Sinai has a Championship caliber defense. If Mt. Sinai continues to click on offense and maintains that lock-down defense, watch out!

Eastport South Manor is 11-0 and has dominated every single time they have stepped on the field. Similar to Sinai, ESM is led by a strong upper class that includes Kelsey Huff (USC Commit) Kaitlyn Dowsett (Siena Commit) Jocelyn Miller (Marquette Commit) Dayna Martinetto (Jacksonville Commit) Hannah Kenneally (Boston University Commit) and Hope Steuerwald (Monmouth Commit). ESM is considered by many to be the best team on this Long Island.  They do everything at a high level and with the skill they have, it’s hard for most teams to compete.  With studs on both sides of the ball, fans probably won’t be seeing many teams getting in there way. 

Location: ESM Stadium Field

Time: 6:00pm

Weather: 

Following the first half, it was clear that neither team was going to pull away from the other.  Both Harborfields and Comsewogue seemed very calm and controlled on the offensive side of the ball, yet were unable to capitalize.  Neither team had any success in pushing the ball in transition due to the fact that both defenses were playing fundamentally sound and both goalies weren’t giving up any easy goals.  The offensive star power that we were expecting to see was nowhere to be found, and instead, we were treated to a defensive showdown.  Both goalies were outstanding, making key free position saves and communicating with their defenses.  For the most part, the first half was an even fought battle that contained great saves, physicality, and big time clears.  When the clock finally hit zero at the end of the half 2-1 was the score in favor of Comsewogue.

With the start of the second half, Harborfields scored a quick goal in transition to tie up the game. The game quickly went back to a defensive standstill.  Comsewogue managed to net one more a few minutes later to retake the lead 3-2. However, it was still anyone’s game with 10 minutes left to play.  Out of nowhere, Harborfields scored a quick 2, one in transition and one off of a free position shot to take their first lead of the game.  With that, Harborfields managed to seal the deal as they held possession for over four minutes. 

Grace Zagaja, who is committed to play lacrosse at Navy, did it all for the Cyclones in a 1 goal victory over Comsewogue. Dominant on the draws, great between the lines, and netted a key goal for her team, Zagaja earned String King Player of the Game. Photo taken by FLG Lacrosse

Below you will find key stats from our String King Game of the Week between Harborfields and Comsewogue.

On April 21st we had one of the biggest rivalries on the island face-off against one another. #2 seed Massapequa hosted #3 Farmingdale at John J. Burns Park. Massapequa took an early 2-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. The first goal was scored by Junior Matt Weigand. It took around four minutes for another goal to be scored, the action resumed as Hofstra Commit Sam Lufti scored an assisted goal from Senior Captain Brendan Nichtern.

Brodie Agres, senior goalie committed to play at St. John’s, kept the Dalers in the game. He played outstanding, making some #SCTop10 saves throughout the day. Photo taken by FLG Lacrosse

Two Minutes into the second quarter Pequa took advantage of a man-up situation as Sam Lufti found Boston University Commit Timmy Ley with the goal to make it 3-0 Pequa. After multiple shots by both teams, at the five minute-fifty-two second mark, Senior Captain Kyle Tucker for Farmingdale finally put the Dalers on the board. With about 17 seconds to go in the first half, Brendan Nichtern who is committed to play at West Point next year knocked in the fourth goal for the Chiefs.

With 2 goals scored from both teams, it proved to be an eventful 3rd quarter. Sophomore Maryland commit Garrett Gibbons knocked in Pequa’s 5th goal only 40 seconds into the second Half. The Dalers came back with two goals of their own to cut the deficit to two goals after being down by 4 at the start of the 3rd. Kevin Lynskey ended the 3rd quarter with Pequa’s 6th goal to make it 6-3.

Brendan Nichtern scored two goals on the day and put a tremendous amount of pressure on the Dalers defense. His battle against Tim Heagerty proved to be an absolute treat. Brendan’s performance earned him String King Player of the Game. Photo taken by FLG Lacrosse

Kyle Tucker notched his second goal of the game, about two minutes into the 4th quarter. About 6 minutes later Farmingdale scored its 5th goal and all of a sudden we had a 1 goal game. Pequa had the ball with around 1 minute to go left in the game, so Farmingdale was forced to pull the goalie and double team the ball. This didn’t stop Brendan Nichtern who dodged two defenders to get his second goal of the game and secure the 7-5 win for Pequa. Angelo Petrakis can’t go unheard of here, Sophomore FOGO, and Leigh Commit went 11-16 in faceoffs against Brian Michael who is committed to Air Force.

Massapequa will head to Baldwin on April 25th, and Farmingdale will host Syosset also on April 25th.

One of the biggest and most intense high school rivalries continues today at Burns Park as the Chiefs take on the Dalers of Farmingdale.  Massapequa is off to a solid start as they are 6-1 on the year (2-0 in their Conference) as their only loss was to Smithtown East in a one-goal game.  After graduating almost 17 seniors last

Despite being young, the Chiefs are made up of a bunch athletes who are skilled with HI Lax IQs. They will have a tough match-up today against a very sound Farmingdale defense who is good in transition. Photo Taken By FLG Lacrosse

year the Chiefs are still prime for a shot at a County Championship.  Led by Senior Brendan Nichtern (Army Commit) and James Hall (Adelphi Commit) on the attack and senior middie Sal Ienna (Binghamton Commit) the Chiefs have shown serious promise in 2017.  On top of that, the Chiefs have an abundance of talented underclassmen who are playing a huge role in the Chiefs early success.  With the addition of Coach Powers, the Chiefs have been running two middie lines that play both ways.  They like to play fast in transition, control the ball, and break down defenses with their dodging ability.  On the defensive side of the ball, Senior leader Michael Peco (Hofstra Commit) alongside junior Griffin Horthawn (Leigh Commit) and Brian Lenehan have a toughness and swagger about thier game. They hope to shut down the fast-paced Dalers on their quest to a Nassau Class A Championship. 

Asst. Coach Eric Dunne prepares his defense to keep the Chiefs skilled and savvy offensive group in check. Photo Taken by FLG Lacrosse

After losing key players, Matt DeLuca (University of Delaware), Tommy McPartland (Mercy College), Steve Kunz (University of Albany) and Legendary coach Bob Hart the Dalers are now headed by Mike Hungerford and his assistants John Campbell, Eric Dunne, and Kenny Garia to lead this Senior heavy team. The Dalers are led by players like; Kyle Tucker (Cabrini University), Senior Attack having a total of 16 goals for the season so far, Darrin Simons (Stony Brook University), senior Middie with a total of 14 goals, Kevin McCormick (Uncommitted) Junior, LSM scoring a total of 3 goals in the season thus far, Brian Michael (Air Force) Junior FOGO scoring 2 goals so far, and Brody Agres (St. Johns University), Junior Goalie saving a total of 66 shots. The team is looking stronger than ever hoping to take home a County Championship. The Dalers are looking good this season as they are 7-1. The Dalers only loss was to West Islip by 2. The Dalers are going into tomorrow’s game ready, with the hope of bringing a key victory back to Farmingdale.

MASSAPEQUA:

• Brendan Nichtern – Attack – West Point Commit – Captain – 3 Year Player
• Sal Ienna – Midfield – Binghamton Commit – Captain – 4 Year Players
• James Hall – Attack – Adelphi Commit
• Garrett Gibbons  – Midfield – Maryland Commit – Sophomore
• Angelo Petrakis – Fogo – Leigh Commit – Sophomore
• Mike Peco  – Defenseman – Leader of the Defense – Hofstra Commit

FARMINGDALE:

• Kyle Tucker, Attack, Senior, Cabrini
• Darrin Simmons, Midfield, Stony Brook
• Kevin McCormick, LSM, Junior, Uncommitted
• Brody Agres, Junior, Goalie, St. John’s
• Brian Michael, Junior, FOGO, Air Force

Game Time: 4pm

Location: John Burns Park, Massapequa, NY

Updates: Twitter @FLGLAX