LACROSSE
Playoff-Bound Tigers Poised To Pounce
Lax squad finishes 12-2, high enough to secure home field advantage for first round
By Danny Schrafel/ dschrafel@longislandernews.com

Eliminated from the playoffs in 2012, the Tigers struck back with vengeance this season, securing second place in Division I and the No. 3 seed in the their playoff bracket.

The Northport boys lacrosse team (12-2) achieved their goal of locking up home field advantage for their first game in the Suffolk County class A postseason schedule. They’re expected to play their first playoff game at 4 p.m. on May 21.

The Tigers clinched home turf by winning the final two games in the regular season, most recently defeating No. 7 Sachem North (8-6) last Friday.

Northport Tigers doubled up on the Flaming Arrows, winning 18-9 at Sachem. The Tigers scored seven points in the first quarter, followed by six in the second. Head Coach Gorge Searing said his team averaged 12 points per game this season; they exceed that average before halftime against Sachem North.

Northport’s offensive push in the second half of the game was less aggressive, adding five more points total, but the defense limited the Flaming Arrows to just four more goals by the time the buzzer sounded.

Senior co-captain and attackman Sean Gilroy led the offense with 6 goals and added 2 assists, and junior attackman Brian Cannon scored four goals with 5 assists.
Sophomore attackman Rocco Sutherland scored 2 goals with 3 assists; senior co-captain and midfielder John Trainor added 2 goals and 2 assists; senior midfielder Nick DeCiglia scored 2 goals and an assist; senior co-captain and midfielder John Glancy and junior attackman Ken Gallagher both scored a point on Friday.

Given the team’s level of motivation, Searing said the win didn’t come as a total surprise.

“I think we just played very well. Our kids knew we had the opportunity to secure the lead in the first round,” he said. “We moved the ball real well, that’s one thing we’ve been doing well all year, and I hope that happens in the post-season, [maintaining] our transition game and the ability to be very unselfish.”

Three days earlier, the Tigers snarled at Middle Country, defeating the Brookhaven team 16-6. Northport scored two unanswered goals in the first period, and added 6 more goals in the second. Northport continued to push into the third with 5 more goals, and Middle Country couldn’t catch up.

Trainor added 5 goals; and both Cannon and Gilroy contributed 3 goals and 3 assists for Northport. Sutherland scored 3 goals with 2 assists; junior attackman Brian Gilroy, junior attackman James Cicio, and sophomore midfielder Michael Trainor each scored one goal, and junior goalie Dan Golden had 6 saves to lead Northport at their last home game of the regular season.

Searing credited sophomore midfielder Austin Henningsen with maintaining control of the ball and stepping up in the midfield position.

“We did very well in face off, which we’ve been doing great with all year anyway. Austin controls a lot of the possessions even if the other team scores,” he said. “Our regular guys did a nice job controlling the situation, extending the lead and getting us to be in a comfortable position.”

Up until their May 21 playoff game, the Tigers will continue to hold practices and scrimmage with a similarly-ranked team, class C No. 3 Bayport-Blue Point from Division II.

Northport will host the winner of the May 17 game, when No. 11 Half Hollow Hills West takes on No. 6 Bay Shore. The coach said Bay Shore would be the likely winner, posing a greater threat and boasting “a few more weapons” than the Colts.

“We have high expectations because we’ve had a nice season. We’re performing well, and the players have really worked hard from off through the regular season, so there is an expectation to do better than we have in the past,” Searing said.