West Islip surprises Garden City, wins Long Island Class B girls lacrosse championship

The West Islip girls lacrosse team was David, and Garden City was Goliath. When the two teams went head to head for the Long Island Class B championship, all eyes were on the defending champion, Garden City. Going against a team that lost just one game all season and a roster filled with Division I college commits didn’t seem to rattle the Lions.

West Islip defeated Garden City, 9-7, on Saturday evening at Longwood High School, bringing home its first Long Island championship since 2018.

“We came into this game, and we knew we’re the underdogs,” West Islip coach Joe Nicolosi said. “But these girls grind, and that showed today.”

Garden City got on the board first when Victoria Ottomanelli found the back of the net after less than a minute of game play.

But West Islip sophomore Ava Obloj quickly responded. The first quarter ended with a tie at 2, but with 6:47 left in the second, Mia Nicolosi’s penalty shot gave West Islip a lead that held up for the rest of the game.

“We did a great job with being patient with the ball on offense,” Obloj said. “Sometimes we get a little anxious and tend to force things, but even with their high-pressure defense, we were able to stay calm.”

It wasn’t just the Lions’ offense that gave them the win. Junior goalie Makenna Gagliardi made eight vital saves in the net.

“Once I made my first save, it felt like a switch was flipped,” Gagliardi said. “It gave me a sense of comfort, and in the last quarter, I was able to make a bunch of saves in a row.”

Just a year ago, West Islip fell, 15-6, to the Trojans in the Long Island championship game. The Lions were ready to prove they were able to compete.

“They thought they were just going to come out and roll over us,” Obloj said. “But we came out strong right from the start.”

While the Garden City team is made up of mostly upperclassmen, more than half of West Islip’s roster are underclassmen.

“We’re a very young team,” Nicolosi said. “We have an eighth-grader, two ninth-graders and mostly sophomores playing for us.”

Obloj finished with three goals, and Nicolosi and Francesca Tofano each added two for West Islip (12-5).

Kyle Finnell, Ottomanelli and Averie Smith each had two goals for Garden City (17-2).

Samantha McCormack, a freshman who was brought up from junior varsity just a month ago, made her varsity debut in the win.

“I was definitely nervous at the beginning because it was my first game,” McCormack said. “I knew I had to step up, and it feels amazing that I was able to play a role in today’s win.”

West Islip will travel to Cortland and will compete in the state semifinals on Friday. The last time they won the state championship was in 2015.

“I’m pumped,” Nicolosi said. “This is a dream come true for us.”