Lady Warriors Stumble Against Eagles

The Rocky Point Eagles ended Comsewogue’s six-game winning streak with a 15-7 beating of the visiting Lady Warriors in girls lacrosse last week. The loss also put to rest the Warriors run of 11 or more goals-per-game dating back to the 9-6 loss to Mt. Sinai on April. 1st. The win improved the Eagles record to 5-3 and moved them one game behind the Lady Warriors who fell to 6-2 in Division II.

“We just didn’t play well,” noted Comsewogue head coach Nicole Kidd. “They’ve improved a lot since the beginning of the season. That and we had some injuries and some people were sick.”

The Eagles devastated the Lady Warriors in the second half scoring 11 times while Comsewogue was held to just five goals. Rocky Point held a slim 4-2 lead at the half and simply overpowered Comsewogue.

Rocky Point’s Jessica Hassett led all scorers with five goals. Marykate McCormick paced the Lady Warriors with three goals while Michelle Rubino added two goals and an assist. Eagles’ goalie Julie Nolan came up big for the Eagles stopping 14 Comsewogue shots. Kim Bolk had nine saves for the Lady Warriors.

The 11 goals let up by the Lady Warriors was the most allowed this season but what hurt Comsewogue most was their inability to put the ball in the back of the cage. Discounting the losses to Rocky Point and Mt. Sinai, the Warriors scored an average of 7.0 goals-per-game during their eight wins, but in their losses to the Eagles and Mustangs their offensive second half output was reduced to an average of three-goals-per-game.

What happened?

“I don’t know what happened,” said Kidd. “It was actually 3-2 near the end of the first half and then they scored at the end of the half to go up 4-2. We had our shots. Things just didn’t go our way. We couldn’t get it together on defense.”

Interestingly, the Lady Warriors now begin the toughest part of their schedule with four of their remaining five games to be played on the road. Beginning this week Comsewogue will travel to Hauppauge on Monday followed by games at Babylon, Shoreham-Wading River and Babylon. They conclude regular season play by hosting Sayville.

“That’s the way the schedule worked out,” said Kidd. “Home or away, I don’t see a difference. My kids should be ready to play. We do play three of the best teams in the Division and we should be ready to play. This team has the most talent we’ve had in a few years.”

Meanwhile, the boys team ended a tough week by winning all three of their scheduled games climaxing with their 12-9 victory over number two Shoreham-Wading River Saturday afternoon. Earlier in the week the top ranked Warriors beat Sayville 12-4 on Monday and Kings Park 16-3 on Thursday. The week of wins extended the Warriors record to a perfect 9-0.

The showdown between the two Division II powerhouses saw both teams play to a 6-6 halftime draw before the Warriors exploded for a four goal third quarter, eventually winning by three goals. More than their offense the Warriors defense shut down SWR’s offense limiting the Wildcats to a single goal in the third quarter and two goals in the fourth quarter.

“It was a tight back and forth game,” said head coach Pete Mitchell. “This team showed a lot of resilience in coming back. The game was kind of like a chess match and we were lucky enough to come out on top.”

With the game knotted at 7-7 in the third quarter the Warriors exploded for three straight goals to take a commanding 10-7 lead. “I don’t think there is anything like shutting down a team like Shoreham-Wading River,” said Mitchell. “But one of the keys to our victory was the draw control exhibited by Nick Pelella who won 19 of 23 face-offs. That was pivotal.”

Six different players scored for the Warriors. Pat Menendez paced the Comsewogue attack with three goals while added two goals and three assists. Mike Malave had three goals and three assists for the Wildcats.

The last time the Warriors went unbeaten through the course of an entire season was in 1998 when Comsewogue went 21-0 and won the New York State championship.

“We’re trying to keep the kids humble,” Mitchell said. “They’re working together at playing team lacrosse and that creates a good situation for us. That hasn’t happened here in a while.”

In other Comsewogue sports the boys baseball team lost a three-game series to North Babylon. The finale on Friday was a 9-5 defeat at home. The Warriors record now stands at 1-8 with nine games remaining. One more loss and Comsewogue will be eliminated from any playoff possibilities.

The softball team continued its hard luck season despite picking up their second victory of the year, a 9-8 crossover win over Newfield on Wednesday. Both Comsewogue wins have been non-league affairs. Comsewogue also defeated Mercy 15-2 on April 20th. The Lady Warriors encored with a 9-8 loss to West Islip on Friday. Comsewogue still remains winless in League IV play.

One team demonstrating a winning connection is the girls track team. The Warriors won their third dual meet of the year with a 91-59 win over Harborfields last week to improve to 3-0. Emily Murphy won both the 400-meter hurdles and was part of the winning 4x400-meter relay team. Unfortunately, the boys track team cannot say the same. They remained winless with a 84-57 loss to Hauppauge.

Finally, the boys tennis team won their fifth match of the year – a 4-3 victory over Sachem North. The 6-2 Warriors are currently in second place in Division III behind unbeaten 8-0 Mt. Sinai.