Farmingdale boys lacrosse holds off Massapequa for important win

For years the mantra of the Farmingdale boys lacrosse team has been "seven or less."

A program that prides itself on defense, the Dalers have found much success in by playing a hard-nosed style and getting strong goaltending.

The blueprint held up Wednesday as Farmingdale defeated Massapequa, 8-7, in a crucial Nassau I battle between two of the top Class A teams in the county.

"We’ve been saying it for years," Farmingdale coach Mike Hungerford said. "Give up seven goals or less and you’ll be in pretty good shape and it held up today."

But Massapequa (5-3) certainly pushed the saying to the limit.

It looked like it would be smooth sailing for the Dalers (7-1) after they killed off a two-man disadvantage early in the fourth quarter while holding an 8-4 lead.

But after a seemingly harmless turnover Massapequa’s Jack Nichtern took advantage for his second goal of the game to make it 8-5 with 4:12 left. Anthony Mollica added a goal with just over three minutes to go and Nichtern added another with :30.8 seconds remaining to make it a one-goal game.

SEE PHOTOSPhotos: Farmingdale vs. Massapequa boys lacrosse

"We were prepared because it’s a game of runs," goalie Danny Seaman, who made eight saves, said. "We had a lot of kills today and even though they got a few goals the defense kept it together and just focused on getting the next stop, and we did at the end."

Farmingdale built its lead with a balanced offensive attack, highlighted by two goals and an assist from Tom Decker and a goal and an assist from Tomaso Ramos.

"Down the stretch we were just trying to possess the ball because we knew that time was in our favor," Decker said. "And in the end the defense held strong, just like they did all game."

It was a particularly important game in the standings with both teams vying for one of the two byes into the semifinals.

"Not only is this a big win because of the rivalry but it’s crucial to make sure we can put ourselves in the best position to win the LIC," Seaman said. "And in addition it’s always great to beat ‘Pequa, the rivalry goes back for years and it’s the best feeling in the world because we haven’t done it in a while."

It was the first win for Farmingdale in the series since 2011.

"We preach defense every day in practice and on game day," Decker said. "When we give up seven or less we are very hard to beat."

By Gene Morris

gene.morris@newsday.comGeneMorris

Gene Morris joined Newsday's sports department in September 2012 and covers high school sports. He earned a journalism degree from Stony Brook University in 2010.