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senior day

Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook men’s lacrosse team sent its 10 seniors off with a thrilling 17-14 win over Fairfield on April 22. Senior attackman Dylan Pallonetti led the charge for the Seawolves as he tallied six points and scored a game-high five goals en route to the crucial CAA victory.

The Seawolves used a big first quarter to take an early 8-4 lead. Stony Brook had six different goal scorers in the opening frame, which included Pallonetti who recorded a hat trick over the first 10 minutes of play. The Seawolves scored six of the first seven goals in the game and at one point scored four consecutive goals in the first and took a 6-1 lead.

Stony Brook carried over its momentum into the second quarter as it outscored Fairfield, 3-2, in the frame and took an 11-6 advantage into the halftime break. Graduate midfielder Matt Anderson, graduate attackman Jonathan Huber, and senior attackman Will Button all rattled the cage in the second quarter as the trio helped cushion the Seawolves’ first half lead.
 
The teams played an even third quarter as Stony Brook took a 15-10 lead into the final frame. Senior defenseman Michael Sabella made a highlight reel play with 3:04 to play in the third quarter.
 
Sabella knocked the stick out of Fairfield midfielder Rob Moore’s hands to force a turnover, he then scooped up the ground ball, took it down to the offensive end of the field and ripped a shot into the back of the net. For Sabella, it was his first career goal, and it gave the Seawolves a 14-8 lead.

Fairfield started the fourth quarter hot by scoring three goals over the first four minutes of play to cut Stony Brook’s lead to 15-13. Following a Seawolves’ timeout and on the ensuing face-off, graduate defensive midfielder David Miele-Estrella picked up the loose ball at the X, charged down field, and found Pallonetti who ripped his fifth goal of the game and upped the Seawolves lead to 16-13.

Stony Brook added an insurance goal with 2:04 to play in the contest when senior attackman Blake Behlen found the back of the net to give the Seawolves a 17-14 advantage, a score they would hold on to win by.

Sophomore goalie Jamison MacLachlan came up huge for the Seawolves in the fourth quarter as he made six of his 15 saves in the final frame. Five of those six saves in the fourth quarter kept Stony Brook up 16-14 from the 10:01 mark until there was 2:04 to play.

Before the game, Stony Brook honored seniors Jimmy BurnsDavid Miele-EstrellaLiam RonanRenz ConlonTynan HilleryNick SquicciariniJonathan HuberDylan McDermottMatt Anderson, and Caleb Pearson for their contributions to the program.
 
STATS AND NOTES

  • Pallonetti finished the game with six points, which included five goals and one assist. He extended his goal scoring streak to 41 games, which continues to be the longest such streak in the nation. He now has 45 goals on the season, the eighth-most in a single-season in program history. For his career, he now has 115 goals, which ties him with Bo Tripodi and Tom Haun for the sixth-most in program history.
  • Huber and Anderson both finished the game with hat tricks. For Huber, it was his fifth hat trick of the season and the 21st of his career. For Anderson, it was also his fifth hat trick of 2023 and the 12th of his career.
  • Junior Noah Armitage registered four points (one goal, three assists). The three assists tied a career-high (also dished out three assists in a game at Monmouth on Mar. 25).
  • Behlen totaled three points (one goal, two assists). It was the 11th time this season that he recorded a multi-point game and fifth time he finished a game with multiple assists.
  • Sabella scored his first career goal, picked up a career-high tying five ground balls, and caused two turnovers. He held Fairfield’s Bryce Ford to just one goal on 1-of-5 shooting.
  • Miele-Estrella scored his first goal of the season and dished out his first assist of the season. The goal was the fifth of his career.
  • MacLachlan made 15 saves and picked up a pair of ground balls. It marked the seventh time this season that he made 10 or more saves in a game and the fourth time that he has made 15 or more stops in a contest.

“There is so much emotion on senior day and I am so happy for that group and so proud to get them a win in their last game at LaValle Stadium. The guys worked hard all week – I thought we had a really good week of practice and we saw the results in today’s win over Fairfield,” said head coach Anthony Gilardi.
 
NEXT UP
The team concludes the 2023 regular season next Saturday, April 29, when it makes the short trip over to Hempstead to take on Long Island rival Hofstra at 7 p.m. It marks the first time that the teams will meet since February 27, 2021, when the Pride earned a 20-17 win at Shuart Stadium. The Seawolves last defeated the Pride on February 25, 2020, when they picked up a 14-11 win at LaValle Stadium.

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Arianna Barbieri strikes the ball past a William Floyd defender. Photo by John Dielman

Ward Melville’s soccer team has an advantage most teams don’t: the connection between twin sisters Kerri and Nicole Liucci.

On their senior night, in a 3-0 win over William Floyd Oct. 16, the two scored a goal apiece, and assisted on each other’s tallies to help the Patriots (10-3-2, 9-2-2 League I) power through.

“We have twin telepathy,” Kerri Liucci said. “We work hard together.”

Nicole Liucci passes the ball downfield. Photo by John Dielman

Nicole Liucci was first to find the back of the net after her twin received a pass from the corner, and moved the ball front and center in the box. With a mid-air knock-in, the Liucci sisters made it an early 1-0 advantage.

“We have a really strong bond and we know where each other is at all times,” Nicole Liucci said. “I kept saying to myself, ‘I need to get the ball in the net.’ My sister passed it to me and I kicked it right in.”

More than 25 minutes passed before the Patriots propelled the ball into the net a second time. On a strike from 30 yards out, midfielder Arianna Barbieri found the far left corner, which was a surprise even to her.

“I decided to just wing it,” she said. “Watching it sail over and into the net felt really good. We were pushing the ball as hard as we could trying to score early and shut them down.”

Ward Melville’s defense held down the Colonials in the second half, despite losing returning All-County defender Kayla Winicki to a torn ACL in the first game of the season against Northport. Liv Halvorsen has stepped up to fill her place on the back line, knocking away chances and battling for crucial possession, which she’ll need to continue if Ward Melville wants to win a League I title.

“We had some girls step in and take over and they’ve been great and adjusted well,” Ward Melville head coach John Diehl said. “We’re gelling now and coming together in different ways.”

Kerri Liucci moves the ball across midfield. Photo by John Dielman

Kerri Liucci put the game out of reach with 12 minutes left when she sent the ball into the corner from close range. She had a chance at a goal seconds earlier, when she pushed the ball past a fallen William Floyd goalkeeper, but a defender batted it away. She said she was overjoyed to finally get on the stat sheet.

“I really wanted to score on senior night,” she said. “I tried, put all my effort behind the ball and it went in, and it felt amazing because I was working hard the whole game to get a goal. It was rewarding.”

The three seniors that scored on Ward Melville’s senior night are the three longest tenured members of the team.

“The girls get so excited for this day,” Diehl said of his 14 upperclassmen. “Their energy is high, their spirits are high and they ended up doing well. They’ve endured a lot and they’re a nice group of seniors. I love seeing them happy — it makes me smile.”

After what could potentially have been the last home game for Ward Melville this season, the Patriots soaked it in as the bench cleared in celebration of a successful shutout. Ward Melville travels to Brentwood for the final game of the regular season Oct. 18. If the Patriots come away with a win, they’ll also grab a piece of the League I title for the first time in years.

“Brentwood is always a strong team,” Diehl said. “It’s always tough against Brentwood at their house, too, because they play on grass and we’re not used to that surface, but heading into this last week I like where we are.”

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Port Jefferson take share of League VII title after senior day win

Courntey Lewis looks up under the rim amid a swarm of Pierson opponents. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Courtney Lewis drives to the basket. Photo by Desirée Keegan

Entering Port Jefferson’s final regular season game just 34 points away from becoming the 22nd player in Suffolk County girls’ basketball history to reach 2,000 career points, Courtney Lewis admitted she was anxious.

Her Thursday afternoon home game was rescheduled for Friday afternoon, only to be pushed back to a Saturday morning matchup as a result of last week’s snowstorm.

“It was stressful,” she said. “There was this build up, and I was so excited to finally get to the game.

When Lewis joined Port Jefferson’s varsity basketball team six years ago, she couldn’t have predicted the feat she would eventually achieve.

Jillian Colucci moves the ball into Pierson’s zone. Photo by Desireee Keegan

She reached 1,500 career points earlier this season, and at that point she said the thought of reaching 2,000 became a goal. The dream became a tangible milestone when she scored a field goal in the fourth quarter of her team’s 64-30 senior day win over Pierson-Bridgehampton Feb. 11. She finished with 39 points to move her to 2,005 for her career.

“Going into the game I knew I was 34 points away, so I told myself I wouldn’t think about it,” Lewis said. “But then, my coach pulled me out when there was two minutes left in the third quarter and said, ‘Do you know how many point away you are?’ and I said no. He told me I was three points away. I had no idea I was that close.”

Lewis scored the first nine points of the game for the Royals, on two field goals and a three-point play. In the second, she sank six more after converting a turnover and two offensive rebounds into three buckets.

Senior Jillian Colucci said she’s always marveled at what her teammate has been able to do on the court.

“Courtney is absolutely phenomenal,” she said. “When I dish the ball off to her she makes these nearly impossible shots and I just stand there in amazement.”

Jackie Brown looks to make a pass. Photo by Desirée Keegan

Lewis credited her teammates for her success.

“We did really well pushing the ball and looking for open girls,” she said. “We prepared all season and we’re ready to take on the playoffs.”

Several assists and multiple turnovers caused by the Royals’ defense helped her chip away at the 34 points until her goal was met.

“It was on today,” senior Corinne Scannell said. “We were working on our defense a lot in practice and it just shows that hard work pays off. We were able to get more traps and read their offense better. On the press we were also really good.”

Lewis needed three points heading into the final quarter, and after assisting on the first field goal of the quarter, she made a layup at the 5:49 mark to pull her within one point. She sank her 2,000th career point a minute later.

“It’s one of my best memories of basketball so far — being my senior year, my last home game, it’s great,” she said.

Corinne Scannell leaps for the ball at tipoff. Photo by Desirée Keegan

Colucci said the culmination of Lewis’ achievement, senior day and the team’s last game of the regular season made the victory sweeter.

“Being with these girls for the last time on this court, to win, it just tops off the season,” she said. “We had a lot of steals and we played really tough. This is my last sport, my last time playing in the Port Jefferson gym and it’s surreal, but it’s great to do it with these girls.”

With the win, Port Jefferson ended the regular season 15-1 and earned a share of the League VII title with Sayville.

“That was definitely our goal, so it feels incredible to have accomplished it,” Colucci said. “We’re working as hard as ever and I think we’re going to go far. We’re hoping that this isn’t the end.”