Sports

A Statement Win For West Islip

Boys lacrosse team defeats Sachem North 14-3 in a strong all-around effort.

Playing its fifth game of the season West Islip boys lacrosse head coach Scott Craig felt his team needed to make a statement.

The Lions 14-3 win over Sachem North may have done just that.

“A lot of people are talking about Smithtown West and (Ward) Melville and I told (the team) to send a message that you at least belong in the conversation,” he said.

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The matchup against the Flaming Arrows was the first major test for West Islip (4-1) in League I and followed a lackluster performance by the Lions in a a week earlier.

Sachem North, which entered the game 5-0, came out strong and took an early 1-0 lead as midfielder Shane deBoer found the back of the cage only 1:10 into the first quarter. In fact, the Flaming Arrows defense held tight and kept West Islip’s potent offense off the scoreboard for nearly 8 minutes in the first.

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In spite of Sachem’s early strong defensive play, West Islip’s offense stayed patient. A goal by Brendan Smith with 3:21 remaining in the first quarter knotted the game at 1 and sent West Islip on a five-goal spurt with Tom Moore (twice), Ryan Wieczorek and Nick Aponte beating Sachem North netminder Brendan Schade.

West Islip went to the half with a 7-2 lead and its consistent offensive play and continued strong defensive play kept Sachem from mounting any kind of rally.

The improved cohesion on offense was something that pleased Craig, who noted the strong play of the team’s leaders and improved communication throughout the game.

“Aponte, (Jon) Reese and Moore really stepped it up today,” he said. 

Moore led all scorers with five goals, Smith chipped in with three tallies and Aponte had five points (2G, 3A).

West Islip next plays Friday at home against North Babylon with a 10:30 a.m. start time.

1 2 3 4 F Sachem North 1 1 1 0 3 West Islip 4 3 5 2 14


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