Tyler McCarthy and Tyler Moore power Connetquot boys lacrosse
Tyler McCarthy of Connetquot celebrates one of his three goals in a Suffolk Division I boys lacrosse game against Ward Melville in East Setauket on Saturday, April 15, 2023. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
There’s much more that these two Connetquot lacrosse players share than their first (and middle) names.
Senior midfielders Tyler (Joseph) McCarthy and Tyler (Joseph) Moore were brought up to varsity as eighth graders and have been a fine-tuned offensive tandem for Connetquot ever since.
Often finding each other for a score, they say their compatibility on the field comes just as naturally as those surface similarities.
“We’ve been playing together since we were five years old, so the chemistry you build playing with someone on the same midfield line for that long is incredibly strong,” said McCarthy, who currently has 67 points (38 goals and 29 assists). “You don’t even have to think about what the other person is going to do, you just know. It’s pretty cool that we can work with each other like that.”
“Playing with him makes it easier because we both play at a high-intensity level,” said Moore, who has racked up 35 goals and 33 assists. “We know where we are at all times, and we trust each other to finish the job.”
Following a “heart-breaking” 10-9 overtime loss to Ward Melville on April 15, Connetquot (10-2) has won its past four games.
“That loss helped us in the long run. It was ultimately a humbling moment that motivated us to work on our mistakes in order to be successful for the remainder of the season,” Moore said.
Connetquot's Tyler Moore (2) takes it to the cage and scores while covered by Sachem East's Connor Vanella (4) in the first quarter during the Suffolk High School boys lacrosse game between Connetquot and Sachem East on Saturday May 7, 2022 at Connetquot High School Credit: Bob Sorensen
But when asked about each other, there are no flaws to be had.
“We’ve played against a lot of zones this year and his skip, no look, and underhand passes have really picked apart other teams defensively,” McCarthy said. “I’m also always confident with him one-on-one in front of the goalie.”
“He dominates with the change of direction he has,” Moore said. “When it comes down to those key moments, he comes up big.”
