Kyle Finnell scores five goals as Garden City goes perfect in Nassau Conference I
Kyle Finnell of Garden City comes in for a shot against Massapequa on Friday. Credit: Dawn McCormick
"Win the last game of the season."
It's the Garden City girls lacrosse team's mantra, and with an undefeated regular season in the books, they’re one step closer to achieving their goal.
After a 9-3 win over host Massapequa on Friday night, Garden City finished 11-0 in Nassau Conference I, with just one loss overall (15-1) to Darien (Connecticut) earlier in the season.
Kyle Finnell got Garden City on the board after just one minute of play and finished with five goals and an assist.
“Kyle’s a dynamite player,” coach Dave Ettinger said. “She’s been the quarterback of our offense.”
Regan Backer added two goals and Maureen Arendt and Tori Ottomanelli each had one.
“This season the offense is really flowing and working well together,” Finnell said. “We just click, and it’s been showing.”
Garden City’s defense held Massapequa to two scoreless quarters with the help of 12 saves by senior goalkeeper Niamh Pfaff.
“Every save that I make is just because the defense gives me a good look at it,” Pfaff said. “We had great slides and great crashes and overall, just played great help defense.”
Finnell said, "Niamh is so important to our defense, but she’s also able to fuel us on offense. When she makes a big save, it goes right into transition and keeps us rolling.”
Ettinger emphasizes the importance of staying focused as they enter the playoffs.
“There’s a lot of teams that all want the same goal,” Ettinger said. “We got close last season, and the girls are looking to get back there and change the result.”
Garden City fell, 8-6, to Victor in the state final last year and Pfaff says they’ve been waiting all year to get back to that game.
“Our eyes have been on winning the last game of the season,” Pfaff said. “When playoffs start, there’s no second chances. If you lose, you go home, but we’re confident in our abilities and ready to get a better outcome this time”