Eighth-grader Alex Gatto nets five as Roslyn tops MacArthur in Class B quarterfinal

Alex Gatto is still an eighth-grader, but on Monday night he continued to showcase his eye-opening talent.

Entering the night with 32 goals and 25 assists, Gatto tallied another five goals as No. 9 Roslyn defeated host No. 8 MacArthur, 14-8, in the first round of the Nassau Class B boys lacrosse playoffs.

Roslyn will visit No. 1 Manhasset in a quarterfinal Thursday.

Gatto recorded his third goal of the night with 4:39 remaining in the first quarter to give the Bulldogs a 5-2 lead. About three minutes later, his brother Ethan picked up a ground ball, sprinted down the seam and bounced in his first goal of the night. On the ensuing possession, Alex Gatto faded from the right side and scored his fourth goal to open a 7-2 advantage.

Michael Leo scored his second goal for MacArthur with 3.3 seconds left in the second to cut the lead to 7-3 at the half.

The Generals' Hugh Kelleher scored 1:18 into the second half to pull MacArthur within 7-4.

But Roslyn answered with four of the next five goals to build an 11-5 lead with 5:24 left in the third.

The Generals netted two goals to close out the third, capped by a ground ball and finish from Brandon Stake in the open field to make it 11-7. Stake added another goal 24 seconds into the fourth and cut the deficit to three.

The Bulldogs scored the last three goals including the final one with 2:50 remaining to seal the first-round victory.

Alex Gatto opened the scoring with a goal at the 9:59 mark of the first quarter. After Roslyn went up 2-0 four minutes later, Alex Gatto got his second tally with 3:54 to go in the period. On the play, a quick pass up the field from Ethan Gatto led to a transition opportunity that Alex finished right in front of the cage.

Ethan Baum fired a deep shot over the middle less than two minutes into the second to open up a 4-0 advantage for the Bulldogs. MacArthur worked its way back later in the quarter by responding with back-to-back goals from Anthony Rivezzo, in transition, and Leo moments later, cutting the Roslyn lead in half at the 6:33 mark.