Winning close games has become the forte of the West Islip Girls Lacrosse team this season and Thursday’s 11-9 win over Hauppauge was no different.
After celebrating senior day, the Lions got off to a sluggish start against the Eagles (7-6) and trailed 3-1 less than six minutes into the first half.
West Islip (11-2) would rebound with five consecutive goals and take a 6-3 lead, but Hauppauge would cut that lead to 7-5 at the half thanks to a late goal from Kerri McCarthy.
The second half saw the Eagles start strong as consecutive goals by Jessica Volpe and Sydney Nino knotted the game at 7.
However, the Lions would take the lead for good when Lindsay Darrell found the back of the net for her third goal of the game to give West Islip an 8-7 lead. Emily Piciullo and Cara Douglas extended the lead to 10-7 with 12:06 remaining in the second half.
West Islip had the better of the chances on offense throughout the game, but Hauppauge goaltender Tori Johnston was sharp in net with 11 saves.
Thursday’s win was the eighth consecutive for the Lions, with the margin of victory in five of those games at two goals or less. West Islip remains in second place in Division I with one game remaining, Monday on the road against West Babylon.
Hauppauge’s postseason hopes could rest on its final game of the season against Brentwood at home on Monday.
The top-12 teams in Division I qualify for the playoffs, which start Friday, May 17. The top four seeds each receive a first round bye.
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