Wantagh girls defeat CSH for the Nassau C lacrosse championship
Wantagh players celebrate after the Nassau Class C girls lacrosse final between Wantagh and Cold Spring Harbor on Wednesday, May 31, 2017, at Adelphi. Credit: Bob Sorensen
Things couldn’t have started much better for the Wantagh girls lacrosse team in Wednesday night’s Nassau Class C championship game.
The top-seeded Warriors were relentless, winning the first eight draws, scoring the first seven goals and holding No. 2 Cold Spring Harbor scoreless for the first 14:23.
Megan Gordon had a goal and three assists before the Seahawks scored once, and Gordon’s two goals and six assists paced Wantagh in the 15-9 win at Adelphi’s Motamed Field.
Wantagh plays two-time defending state champion Mount Sinai at 2:30 p.m. Sunday in the Long Island championship at Adelphi.
“That gave us so much momentum,” said junior Kayla Conway, whose work in the circle resulted in a 20-6 advantage in draw controls for Wantagh (12-3). “It really set us forward. I think that set such a high standard for us that we wanted to keep up, and we did.”
Cold Spring Harbor (9-8) defeated Wantagh on March 28, 5-4. But things are far different now than they were in the early stages of the season.
Wantagh first-year coach Greg Cody said his team was 0-for-12 on free positions in the first meeting. This time, Wantagh converted three such attempts and turned several more into opportunities.
Conway, who also had three goals, said they spent significant time practicing spot-shooting, and Cody said he and assistant coach Chris Sullivan preached shooting low against Cold Spring Harbor’s Abbey Ngai, one of Nassau’s best goalies.
It was efficient shooting that allowed Wantagh to maintain its advantage, even as the Seahawks pushed early in the second half.
Kate Kotowski (one goal, three assists) found Katherine Faria (three goals) to bring the Seahawks within five at 11-6 with 12:10 remaining, but Wantagh scored four straight to put the game back out of reach.
The speedy Warriors were able to use all their offensive weapons. Alexandra Murphy had four goals, Taylor Carson had three and eighth-grader Sabrina Caruso had three.
“I had a good feeling about this year,” Gordon said. “I knew with the returners we had back and I knew with the talent we had coming up that we would be able to keep working hard and make it back here.”
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