East Meadow Lacrosse Falls to Massapequa

Both the Massapequa and East Meadow boys lacrosse team have experienced the ups and downs of a challenging Conference I schedule in 2011. On Tuesday afternoon, the two teams wrapped up their regular season at Burns Park with the Chiefs (12-3 overall, 9-1) topping the Jets (8-7 overall, 5-6), 16-5.

Dylan Sheehan record a career-high in points with seven, including four goals and three assists to lead Massapequa. Dan Muller added four goals as well. East Meadow was led by Sean Hinchy who collected two goals and an assist.

East Meadow scored first in the opening quarter after Chris Fuger put in a goal past Massapequa goalie Joe Danaher. Massapequa wrapped up the quarter on a 5-0 run, including two goals from Sheehan.

Massapequa kept the offensive surge going as they found the net six times in the second quarter alone compared to two goals from East Meadow. The Chiefs went into halftime with a comfortable 11-3 lead.

With the game in hand and a potential number one seed in the Class A playoffs, Massapequa played many of their substitutes in the opening minutes of the second half. East Meadow was held without a goal for a span of 19:10 in the half.

Massapequa outscored East Meadow 5-2 in the final two quarters including a hat trick from Frank Falcone in the fourth to wrap up the 16-5 win.

Heroes: Dylan Sheehan and Dan Muller stepped up to lead Massapequa to a strong close to the regular season. The duo combined for half of the Chiefs’ goals.

Turning Point: Massapequa rattled off four consecutive goals in under five minutes to push the lead to nine goals in the second quarter.

Quotable: “It was a good way to end the regular season with a 9-1 record in the league,” Massapequa head coach Tim Radomski said. “The second season starts in practice to prepare for the playoffs. It’ll come down to ground balls and putting balls in the back of the cage at a high level.”

“They were a very good team with a lot of experience. It was a tough one but we are in the playoffs,” East Meadow head coach Barney Dellaquila said. “If we play well then things can go well. It is the playoffs, so you never know.”

Bottom Line: Massapequa has a shot at the overall top seed in the playoffs, meaning they will receive a bye into the second round. East Meadow will be in the playoffs but figures to have a tough uphill climb to go far.

Key Stat: East Meadow was held to a pair of second half goals against the stingy Massapequa defense.

Box Score: 

Goals-Assists: M: Sheehan 4-3, Muller 4-0, Falcone 3-0, Lukaszewicz 2-3, Shand 1-2, Romano 1-1, Lawless 1-0, Tralongo 0-1. Totals: 16-10. EM: Hinchy 2-1, Fuger 1-0, Picket 1-0, Curry 1-0. Totals: 5-1. Goalies- M: Danaher- 6 saves, Haran- 1 save, Zorovich- 1 save; EM: Borg- 4 saves, Wood- 3 saves.