Suffolk County, sitting in the southeast of New York, hosts one of the strongest rivalries in all of high school lacrosse. Together, West Islip and Ward Melville dominate on the lacrosse field throughout the county.
Though both teams have had their fair share of victories, West Islip has controlled the county recently, winning nine consecutive Suffolk County Class A titles. The two teams last faced each other on May 30 of last year in the county championship game which West Islip won 9-6.
This year, the tables seemed to have turned. Throughout the year, Ward Melville has acquired a perfect 11-0 record and rank 5th on the DigitalSports National Lacrosse Rankings. Their strength comes from Melville’s lockdown defense and goaltending, as well as their fierce and relentless offensive attack. In their first 11 games, Ward Melville has only allowed 45 goals against. Along with that, the Patriots held Garden City, ranked 10th nationally, to only three goals in a 7-3 victory. Ward Melville’s dominating offense has also allowed the patriots to run the tables out scoring their opponents 145 to 45 across all 11 games this season!
West Islip, on the other hand, has not shared in the same success as their Suffolk County adversaries. The Lions’ 8-3 record puts them at 34th on the national table; however West Islip was expected to be contenders for places in the top 10 in the country. Also, West Islip’s three losses this season total their losses for the past three years, in their 61-3 run from 2010-2012.
Today, the two teams face off yet again. Though it is impossible to predict the outcome of the match, one thing is certain: the game, the players, and the crowd will all be at the highest level. The players will be leaving everything they have on the field. The games consistently attract large, vocal crowds. It is safe to say that the game hosted by West Islip High School will be an exciting one at the least. So go root on your home team at West Islip today April 29th, at 4:30PM.
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