Ward Melville lax secures Long Island title SportsVillage Times Herald by Desirée Keegan - June 6, 2016 0 1204 1 of 25 D.J. Kellerman makes a save. Photo by Desirée Keegan Zach Hobbes shoots and scores. Photo by Desirée Keegan Connor Grippe and Dylan Pallonetti embrace one another after a goal. Photo by Desirée Keegan Chris Grillo moves the ball around the back of the cage. Photo by Desirée Keegan Dominic Pryor races across the field to evade defenders. Photo by Desirée Keegan Chris Grillo and Connor Grippe leap up in celebration of a goal. Photo by Desirée Keegan Dylan Pallonetti maintain possession of the ball while a Syosset defender checks him. Photo by Desirée Keegan Eddie Munoz dives for a loose ball. Photo by Desirée Keegan Connor Grippe races over to Eddie Munoz in celebration of a goal. Photo by Desirée Keegan Chris Grillo looks to pass the ball out after not being able to find an open lane. Photo by Desirée Keegan Connor Grippe moves the ball into Syosset's zone. Photo by Desirée Keegan Connor Grippe leaps into Eddie Munoz's arms after a good goal. Photo by Desirée Keegan Dominic Pryor maintains possession of the ball with a Syosset defender on his hip. Photo by Desirée Keegan Owen McAvoy holds the ball away from a Syosset defender while he figures out his next move. Photo by Desirée Keegan Eddie Munoz celebrates his hat trick goal. Photo by Desirée Keegan Eddie Munoz holds the ball out to avoid a turnover as he moves up the field. Photo by Desirée Keegan Eddie Munoz shoots and scores between two Syosset defenders. Photo by Desirée Keegan Owen McAvoy makes a play. Photo by Desirée Keegan Michael Giaquinto races downfield toward the loose ball that he snags mid-air. Photo by Desirée Keegan Eddie Munoz raises his hands in celebration after his team comes out of the pile-up during the on-field celebration. Photo by Desirée Keegan The Ward Melville boys' lacrosse team races off the field after celebrating the Class A Long Island championship win with a pile up. Photo by Desirée Keegan D.J. Kellerman, Connor Grippe and John Day raise up the Class A Long Island championship plaque. Photo by Desirée Keegan The Ward Melville boys' lacrosse team waits to rush the seniors holding the championship plaque. Photo by Desirée Keegan The Ward Melville boys' lacrosse team piles together to reach out and touch the Class A Long Island championship plaque. Photo by Desirée Keegan The Ward Melville boys' lacrosse team won the program's 17th Class A Long Island championship crown with a 9-5 win over Syosset. Photo by Desirée Keegan D.J. Kellerman said the Syosset fans kept him entertained all night. “I don’t even want to repeat it,” he said of what his opponent’s fans were shouting to him while between the pipes. “Everyone was frustrated with me and my defense, our offense and our faceoff guy — we just dominated.” The Ward Melville boys’ lacrosse team held Syosset to its lowest amount of goals in two years, outscoring the team 9-5 for the Patriots’ 17th Class A Long Island championship title on June 4 at Hofstra University. Kellerman made 11 saves and the defense was smothering, silencing fans quickly as Ward Melville jumped out to a 4-0 lead midway through the second quarter. “I was dialed in,” Kellerman said. “We pride ourselves on our defense. We elevate our play from each other and that’s why this unit is successful.” Both teams came out with intensity, but with Ward Melville’s leveled offense, four different players were able to score while Kellerman made three saves before Sysosset got on the board. Kellerman made his final save of the first half with 8.2 seconds left during a man-down situation. “We wanted to jump out early on them,” said junior midfielder Eddie Munoz, who earned a hat trick. “We got the momentum going and then, when they made defensive stops, it got us a little juiced up and motivated to put some more goals in. Every time they get a little bit of life, you’ve got to take it right back and my teammates found me the open looks.” Kellerman made another big-time save with seconds left in the third stanza, and Munoz followed it up with scoring seconds into the fourth, off an assist from senior attack and midfielder Connor Grippe. “This is the greatest day of my life right now — I said that on Wednesday when we won counties, but this is 10 times better,” said Grippe, who finished with two goals and two assists. “Each game I come in with an open mind, not thinking about it being my last game, but thinking ‘on to the next one.’” He too thought his team’s defense, with help from players like Kellerman, John Day, Andrew McKenna and Sean Thornton, were key in the game plan to take the title home. “These guys lock out every single opponent,” he said, also noting the correlation between the defense and offense’s success. “Once the defense makes the stops, it gets us going and it’s a recipe for success.” What head coach Jay Negus said is the reason for his Patriots’ triumph, on top of the team’s defensive coach and the boys executing his game plan, is the Patriots’ progress. “The effort, the heart and the accepting of all of the things we throw at them on a daily basis to rise them to the level they need to be at — to see their growth from the first day of practice to now — they really are peaking at the right time,” he said. “I told the guys we need to absorb [Syosset’s] energy because this is a game of momentum and we need to dig in and then counter attack, and we did a good job of doing that today.” But as Negus said, and the boys know, it’s back to work until the team takes on Lakeland-Panas in the state semifinals at 8 p.m. on June 8 at Hofstra University. But Munoz just wanted to bask in the moment a little longer. “Last year a lot of people said we had a better team, but I feel like this year it’s been more of a team effort, and it feels really good to come back here,” Munoz said. “This is where we belong, and we’re going to be here for a while.”