Carter Hawthorne, four others get at least 3 goals as Massapequa rolls in state Class A semifinals
The only thing that could stop the ball from moving around like it was part of a Harlem Globetrotters' routine was the back of the net.
And Massapequa put it there so often Wednesday it was as if the Chiefs' opponent was the Washington Generals. Playing the final quarter and a half with running time, Massapequa dazzled Niskayuna, 23-9, in the boys lacrosse state Class A semifinals played before a crowd estimated at 2,000 at Hofstra's Shuart Stadium.
"We don't have a superstar, but we think we have six superstars on offense," said midfielder Carter Hawthorne, who scored three goals with four assists and was one of five Massapequa players who scored at least three goals. Ryan Tierney netted three goals with three assists; Paul Dilena and Ian Kirby had four goals and two assists each and Craig Berge notched three goals and an assist.
"We were firing on all cylinders. It was fun," Hawthorne said.
Massapequa (18-2) hopes the fun continues on Saturday when it faces Fayetteville-Manlius in the state Class A final at 11 a.m. at Hofstra. Fayetteville-Manlius defeated Fairport, 10-9, in the other semifinal, played Wednesday at Cicero High School in North Syracuse.
"We have a high-powered offense with a lot of scorers," Hawthorne said. "We're really unselfish. We look for each other."
That was evident in Wednesday's blowout, as Massapequa registered assists on 16 of its goals, an unusually high number. "It's amazing," Tierney, son of Hofstra coach Seth Tierney, said of the offensive display that included seven goals in the first quarter and eight in the second. "We don't have to rely on one person. We trust each other and that makes it a ton easier. Our goals don't come on set plays. We just keep the ball moving, cut and shoot."
The Chiefs turned it on midway through the first quarter, scoring four straight goals -- by Kirby, Nick Yevoli, Tierney and Dilena -- to take a 6-2 lead. The closest the Silver Warriors got was 8-5 on the second of four goals by Mike D'Amario. Of course, Massapequa had an answer, in the form of a game-breaking 5-0 blitz. Kirby started it with his third, Dilena scored 38 seconds later, Hawthorne quick-sticked one home on a slick feed by Tierney, Dilena scored unassisted and 41 seconds later, Jim Byrns (two goals, one assist) did the same after a neat spin dodge.
"At any time, any of our guys has the green light to take it to the cage," Massapequa coach Tim Radomski said. "If they draw two, they know who to dump it off to. They'll take the assist. No one feels like they have to shoot it."
It was 15-6 at halftime and the only suspense was when -- not if -- Massapequa would take a 12-goal lead, triggering a running clock. That moment came with 6:07 left in the third quarter, when Berge took a feed from Hawthorne for an extra-man goal that made it 19-7. Niskayuna never did get the margin under 12 so the last 18 minutes were a blur.
Just like the way Massapequa moved the ball stick-to-stick to net.
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