Recently, the Suffolk County rivalry, a battle between Ward Melville and West Islip, has been dominated by the latter of the two. After nine consecutive Suffolk County Class A victories, West Islip proved that they controlled the county.
Even with their dominance in recent years, the West Islip Lions, ranked 34th in the DigitalSports National Lacrosse Rankings, entered as the underdogs to 5th ranked Ward Melville. Going into the game with a perfect 11-0 record, Ward Melville looked to shift the power and take the back Suffolk County. The Patriots successfully turned the tables in a strong performance in their 11-2 victory over West Islip.
Both teams put on strong defensive displays during the entire first half. Ward Melville struck first and shut out West Islip for the entire first quarter. In the second quarter, the Patriots tacked on another two goals, with West Islip scoring one to bring the game to 3-1 at the half.
From the first whistle of the third quarter, Ward Melville controlled the entire second half. The Patriots kicked off the half with five third period goals. Senior Jack Bruckner started the scoring with a quick goal 42 seconds in. Senior Brendan Hegarty hit the net twice in the quarter. Sophomores Daniel Bucaro and Jack McCulloch netted the last two goals of the scoring spree. In the final quarter, Ward Melville scored three more goals and only allowed one to bring the game to a close at 11-2.
Throughout the game, Ward Melville showed loads of potential on both sides of the ball. A strong indicator of the young talent on the team, sophomore Daniel Bucaro scored two goals and five assists. Along with their powerful offense, Ward Melville’s defense shut down West Islip for the entire game with their best performance yet. To complement the defense, the Patriot’s goalkeeper, Daniel Nemirov, stopped 10 of 12 shots from the Lions.
Together with their victory over Garden City on April 20, defeating West Islip marked the second time in two weeks that Ward Melville beat defending state champion teams. After a short break, Ward Melville begins the final quarter of the season starting Thursday. With only four games left, the 12-0 Patriots stand a strong chance to complete the undefeated season.
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