Suffolk Class A Lacrosse Semi-Finals Preview

The West Islip High School Lions will continue their defense of their state championship when they take on the Connetquot Thunderbirds at 4:30 p.m. today at West Islip High School in the Suffolk County Class A semifinals. The Lions come into the game as the top ranked team in Class A, while Connetquot is ranked fourth.

How They Got Here

West Islip defeated eighth-ranked Walt Whitman on Tuesday 16-4. 

Connetquot defeated East Islip, the fifth seed, on Tuesday 18-4.

Previous Meeting

West Islip and Connetquot met each other on April 27 with the Lions winning 16-9. The Lions were led by Andrew Hodgson and Mike Sagl, who each had four goals. Nicky Galasso, Conor Tenety, Rob Moore and Conor Braddish each added two goals for the Lions.

Players to Watch

All eyes will be on West Islip Lions senior attackman Nicky Galasso, who captures the opponent's attention every game. Yet, Galasso still manages to play big in the big games. He has a solid supporting cast in fellow seniors Andrew Hodgson and Rob Moore as well as  juniors Drew Federico, Mike Sagl and goaltender Kyle Turri.

Connetquot is led by top scorers Kieran McCardle, Matt McQuade and Craig Kiernan as well as goaltender Zach Oliveri. 

On a Role

Connetquot has won five in a row.

West Islip has won 16 in a row since losing their opening game on March 31 against Sachem North in overtime. Following that game, the Lions took on the nationally-ranked Chaminade High School, winning 10-7, on three goals by Galasso. West Islip hasn't looked back since. 

What's Next?

The winner of the West Islip-Connetquot game will play the winner of the Smithtown West-Ward Melville game, which is also today in the Class A finals. That game will be on Thursday, June 3 at 8 p.m. at Stony Brook University.