Home Sports

Commack Cougars win on tribute night to troops

by Steven Zaitz - April 27, 2023

0 1265

1 of 17

Commack High School hosted a ceremony on Tuesday that honored military veterans and active armed service personnel prior to the Commack-William Floyd boys lacrosse game. About two dozen men and women, active and retired, from all branches of service were on hand as Commack School Superintendent Jordan Cox led the procession.

After a Marine Corps Color Guard marched and saluted the flag, Cox introduced speakers Ray Tierney, Suffolk County district attorney, pictured below; Commack High School alumnus and Huntington Town Supervisor Ed Smyth (a U.S. Marine Corps veteran); and Edward Wehrheim, Smithtown town supervisor (a U.S. Navy and Vietnam veteran).

Suffolk County Legislators Manual Esteban and Robert Trotta were in attendance, as was Councilman Thomas Lohmann and a few members of the Suffolk County Police Department who have served.

Commack won the game 9-8 on a goal by midfielder James Pagano in overtime.

Shoreham-Wading River Wildcats hold on for the win

by Bill Landon - April 25, 2023

0 1474

1 of 29

The Wildcats of Shoreham-Wading River, protecting a three-goal lead to open the second half, scored on their first possession to break out to an 8-4 lead against the Bulls of Smithtown West at Thomas Cutinella Memorial Field in a Division II matchup April 21.

It looked as if the Wildcats would cruise the rest of the way, but the Bulls saw it differently as they chipped away at the deficit when Isabella Dantuono with seven minutes left in regulation scored off an assist from Alyssa Lorefice to trail 8-7. Charlotte Erb’s shot on goal stretched the net for the insurance goal for the Wildcats with six minutes left when Dantuono buried her fourth goal of the game to trail 9-8 at the three-minute mark. Shoreham-Wading River was able to hold on letting the clock unwind for the victory.

Shoreham-Wading River senior GraceAnn Leonard topped the scoring chart for the Wildcats with an assist and three goals. Teammates Reese Marcario had two assists with Grayce Kitchen scoring twice. Kamryn Osik had two saves on the day.

Isabella Dantuono scored four goals along with an assist for Smithtown West and Alyssa Lorefice had two assists and two goals. Goalie Maribella Marciano stopped eight shots on goal.

The win lifts the Wildcats division record to 5-3 while the loss drops the Bulls to 4-4.

Ward Melville holds third annual charity softball game

by Bill Landon - April 25, 2023

0 1376

1 of 30

Saturday morning marked Ward Melville’s softball team’s third annual charity softball game this year, recognizing Hampton Bays high school student Julia Scourakis.

Scourakis suffers from a rare form of Escobar syndrome with Arthrogryposis. There are only 70 cases documented worldwide and none with Julia’s specific genetic sequencing of this disease. Having endured 14 spinal and leg surgeries to date, Scourakis threw out the first pitch in a fundraising event to benefit the Southampton Fresh Air Home.

The Patriots hosted Deer Park in the non-league event where all the players donned T-shirts that said “Sometimes Real Superheroes live in the hearts of Small Children Fighting Big Battles”

Ward Melville eighth-grader Julianna Russ tossed a shutout performance for the Patriots in the 9-0 victory April 21.

SBU Sports: Softball run-rules Hampton in game 3 to take the series

by Press Release - April 25, 2023

0 451

SBU Sports softball — Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook softball team run-ruled Hampton, 9-0, in five innings to win game three and ultimately take the series on April 23 at University Field.

It was all Seawolves in the series finale as the squad got off to a hot start with a solo home run in the first inning by sophomore outfielder Alyssa Costello. Junior infielder Sofia Chambers fed off of Costello’s momentum, plating senior infielder Brooke Dye in the second inning after she singled up the middle.

Costello added to her standout day with a two RBI double up the middle in the second to bring home junior outfielder Alicia Orosco and Chambers which increased Stony Brook’s lead to 4-0. Junior infielder Ashley Jacobson added a solo home run of her own in the third and sophomore catcher Emily Reinstein was able to score off a wild throw by Hampton’s catcher.

Senior catcher Corinne Badger sealed the victory for the Seawolves with a three-run home run in the bottom of the fourth to secure the 9-0 win.

“Just going up there and thinking about getting my barrel to the ball and just trying to hit it hard to help out my teammates anyway that I can,” said junior infielder Ashley Jacobson on her successful hitting.

“Throughout the season my confidence has definitely gone up since the beginning of the season. I felt like I wasn’t really stringing good at bats together, but now that confidence is there and it fuels off of my teammates 100 percent,” said sophomore outfielder Alyssa Costello.

“We just need to keep playing good softball. We have put all three parts together in the last two games of the series, pitching, offense and defense. We are swinging at better pitches and we really want to be able to be productive through the lineup and not just rely on one person and I think it is tough when a team has to come out and really work on batters one through nine,” said head coach Megan T. Bryant.

SBU Sports: Women’s lacrosse secures No. 1 seed in CAA Tournament

by Press Release - April 25, 2023

0 626

SBU Sports women's lacrosse — Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook women’s lacrosse team (11-3, 6-0 CAA) remains the only team left undefeated in the CAA as it topped the Towson Tigers, 14-11, on April 22 to secure the No.1 seed heading into the program’s first-ever CAA Tournament.

The Seawolves’ offense was led by senior attacker Morgan Mitchell who tallied five goals. Senior attacker Kailyn Hart and junior midfielder Ellie Masera followed behind Mitchell registering a hat trick each. Graduate attacker Jolie Creo dished out a career-high eight assists, tied for second-most assists in a single game in program history with Taryn Ohlmiller, Kylie Ohlmiller, and Claire Petersen.

Towson got off to a hot start, scoring two back-to-back early goals courtesy of Halley Koras and Lindsey Marshall. However, Stony Brook did not stay silent for long as Masera converted a woman-up goal off a helper from Creo to get the squad on the board. The Tigers would add another goal to increase their lead to 3-1 with 10:08 remaining in the first quarter.

Less than one minute later, Masera and Mitchell would score back-to-back goals of their own to tie the contest, 3-3. The Seawolves found their offensive momentum as the squad would find the back of the cage five more times to grab hold of a 8-3 lead heading into the quarter break.

Throughout the first five minutes of the second quarter, Towson found the cage two times to cut its deficit to just three. Senior midfielder Kira Accettella would add the last goal for Stony Brook before heading into halftime with a 9-6 lead.

The Tigers added another two goals coming out of the half to find themselves within one. Junior midfielder Jaden Hampel and Hart added two goals in the remaining 7:10 left in the third quarter to give the squad a 11-9 lead heading into the final 15 minutes. The squad would go on to outscore Towson, 3-2, to secure their sixth consecutive conference win, the No. 1 seed in the CAA Tournament, and the 14-11 victory.

“Proud of our kids to secure the CAA, at least a share of the regular season championship and the one seed in the tournament. Towson is a great team that always brings it when we play each other. I thought we weathered the storms well and responded at opportune times. We took nearly 40 shots and most of those were high quality, so tip of the cap to their goalie who played excellent,” said head coach Joe Spallina.

The team returns home to LaValle Stadium for the regular season finale and the Battle of Long Island on Friday, April 28. Face-off is set for 6:31 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on LacrosseTV.

Middle Country Mad Dogs drain Riverhead Blue Waves

by Bill Landon - April 24, 2023

0 583

1 of 21

Not having won since their opening game of the season against Mattituck back in March, the Mad Dogs of Middle Country desperately needed a win to snap a seven-game losing streak. Opportunity knocked when the Riverhead Blue Waves came calling on Saturday, April 22.

Protecting a one-goal lead at the halftime break, senior attack Charles Cavalieri split the pipes in the opening minute of the second half to put his team out front 4-2. But the Blue Waves countered with a pair of goals halfway through the third quarter to make it a new game at four-all.

Cavalieri’s stick spoke again to put the Mad Dogs back out front when his younger brother, Jack, buried his shot to push ahead 6-4. But the Blue Waves answered with a goal near the finish to trail by just one. Middle Country held on, though, edging the Blue Waves 8-6 in the Div. I contest.

Charles Cavalieri topped the scoring chart for the Mad Dogs with two goals and two assists. Aidan Eck had one goal and two assists. Jack Cavalieri and Andrew DiMondo scored two goals each, and Joseph Grottola scored. Goalie Logan Hoenig had 11 saves in net.

— Photos by Bill Landon

SBU Sports: Men’s lacrosse powers past Fairfield on Senior Day April 22

by Press Release - April 24, 2023

0 852

R6II9738__1_ — 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 Burns, David Miele-Estrella, Liam Ronan, Renz Conlon, Tynan Hillery, Nick Squicciarini, Jonathan Huber, Dylan McDermott, Matt 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 21^st of his career. For Anderson, it was also his fifth hat trick of 2023 and the 12^th 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 11^th 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.

Port Jeff boys lax wins handily

by Bill Landon - April 22, 2023

0 858

Royals notch first win over Bellport

1 of 14

Eager to pick up their first win of this early season, the Port Jefferson Royals did just that, winning 11-5 in a Div. II road game against Bellport on Thursday afternoon, April 20.

The team’s young talent made its mark. Sophomore Ryan Filippi led the way for the Royals with four goals and three assists. Teammate Rowan Casey, a freshman, scored three goals and had two assists. Sophomore Patrick Johnston had three assists and scored.

Senior Matthew Buonomo scored twice with an assist, and Jonah Pflaster also found the net. Port Jeff’s freshman goalie Owen Whiffen had 12 saves in net.

The Royals will look to make it two in a row with another road game on Monday, April 24, when they face Sayville (3-4) at 5:00 p.m.

— Photos by Bill Landon

Freshman attacker scores lucky seven for Northport

by Steven Zaitz - April 21, 2023

0 1257

1 of 12

Fabulous freshman attacker Kate Atkinson had an astonishing seven goals for Northport as the Lady Tigers beat the Smithtown East Lady Bulls, 17-11, on Tuesday.

Northport continues its undefeated season and moves to 7-0 and has won 61 of its last 62 games dating back to 2019. The only blight on this record is a loss to Baldwinsville in the New York State Championship final last June. Smithtown East falls to 4-2.

Northport spotted East the first goal of the game, and the Lady Bulls controlled the ball for a large portion of the opening five minutes. Jenna Mehlinger scored at 19:32.

The Lady Tigers got in gear after Mehlinger’s goal and reeled off the next seven in a 13-minute span, three of which coming off the stick of Atkinson. Northport took a commanding 10-3 into the half.

The two teams traded goals in the second half, and the Bulls outscored the Tigers 8-7 in the second session, but it was not nearly enough. Kennedy Radziul had three goals, and Haleigh Greenberg and Grace McCarthy had two each. Goalkeeper Megan Morris had six saves.

Ava Aceri had five goals for Smithtown East, all of them coming after halftime. She also assisted on a goal by Jenna Soto, who had a pair of goals. Mehlinger totaled three goals and an assist as beleaguered Bulls netminder, Grace McDonald, faced 24 shots on the afternoon, stopping seven of them.

Northport has a non-league match coming up on April 22 against Westchester County’s Fox Lane High School, and Smithtown East will suit up next against Sachem East on April 20.

— Photos by Steven Zaitz

SBU Sports: Baseball downs Northeastern at Joe Nathan Field

by Press Release - April 20, 2023

0 566

SBU Sports baseball #33 Josh O'Neill — #33 Josh O'Neill prepares to pitch. Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook Baseball team (13-19, 5-9 CAA) got off to a fast start against Northeastern University (27-7, 9-5 CAA) on April 16 by dropping four runs on the team from Boston in the first inning and never looked back to ultimately take the 11-3 victory at Joe Nathan Field.

The offense was paced by four different student-athletes recording three-hit performances as graduate Evan Giordano, senior Brett Paulsen, the junior tandem of Evan Fox and junior Matt Brown-Eiring all tallied three knocks and at-least one RBI.

Fox got the bottom half of the first inning started with a knock, which extended his on-base streak to 30 games to start the season. After stealing second, junior Ryan Micheli knocked in Fox on a screamer to center field.

Graduate Evan Giordano singled in the next at-bat and both Giordano and Micheli stole a bag to get themselves in scoring position. Then, senior Shane Paradine did his job by driving home Micheli on a sac-fly to give Stony Brook a 2-0 advantage. Junior Matt Brown-Eiring tallied his first of three hits to bring home Giordano and a few batters later, Paulsen capped the rally by bringing in Brown-Eiring on a hit to right field, giving Stony Brook a 4-0 lead after the first inning.

Stony Brook carried their momentum at the plate over the next three innings by tallying three runs in the second, two runs in the third, and a run in the fourth.

It was the top of the Stony Brook order that did the damage in the second inning. Micheli started the rally by reaching on a hit-by-pitch, followed by Giordano advancing him to third on a double and Paradine loading the bases after he was hit by a pitch. Brown-Eiring and Paulsen both recorded RBI knocks, and junior Derek Yalon brought in a run on a double-play, giving Stony Brook the 7-0 advantage. Fox also tallied an RBI single in the next inning.

The team sent out senior Josh O’Neill to make his second conference start of the season and make his 11th start of his career. For the second week in a row, O’Neill reocrded the victory as he tossed 6.0 innings, allowing three hits, one run (earned) and struck out eight batters.

Again in the third inning it was the top-of-the-order for Stony Brook that was doing the damage. Fox led the frame off by doubling and scored after Giordano knocked him in on a single. Following a Paradine double, Brown-Eiring knocked in Giordano on a sac-fly giving the squad a 9-0 lead in the third.

After O’Neill left the game in the seventh, the Huskies tallied a run in the frame but Brown-Eiring responded in the next half inning with his fifth homer of the season to give Stony Brook the 11-2 advantage.

Sophomore JT Raab finished off the final three innings out of the pen for Stony Brook to seal the victory and earn the second save of his career.

Prev 1...697071...247 Next

Page 70 of 247