After coming off a 14-8 rout of East Meadow, the Schreiber boys varsity lacrosse team find themselves in sixth place in Nassau Conference 1 as of April 28. Senior attacker Christian Athanasian and junior midfielder Robbie Connors combined for seven goals and eight points in the game. With a one goal lead heading into the final quarter, the Vikings rallied for six goals to nail down the victory. The team’s latest win improved their conference record to 2-2, where they boast an overall 5-4 record, with first-year Head Coach Isaac Neal at the helm.
So far, Neal is enjoying the successful season the boys are having in his inaugural year as head coach. He appreciates the camaraderie that the team has and the resilience they have shown after a tough loss. After serving as an assistant coach and running the team defense for the past five seasons, the transition to new head coach was an easy one. Despite the changes on the sideline, the same familiar procedure remains for the Vikings.
“It’s like figuring out how to do it your way,” said Neal. “The guys all know me so they know what to expect from me. I think that helped a lot as far as how practice and our preparations go.”
One particular area that gives Port an advantage against their opponents is the team’s balance. In the last couple of years, they were loaded with plenty of midfielders and they relied on a few guys to attack. This season, the approach has been different. If one player steps down in a game, it opens up more room for another player to step up and produce with confidence.
“When you look at the score sheets, in one game a guy would have six or seven goals and another game, a guy will have four,” said Neal. “I think this is going to allow us to be successful.”
One area Neal wants to make adjustments to is getting all his players on the field and keeping them fresh. He described this process as both “a gift and a curse,” because all the players earned their time and not everyone is out there on the field.
“We got a good commitment from our boys and we’ve been practicing together since November,” said Neal. “So trying to find space for all those guys that put in all the time and effort is hard.”
With many weapons at their disposal, there are plenty to choose from as they look to make a push for a playoff spot. Fifth-year veteran senior Nick Ferraro remains an elite net minder and senior Seth Obadia leads a dangerous and potent attack. Both of these boys are key players who provide leadership and experience to the Vikings.
After graduating six midfielders last year, a big addition in their midfield is sophomore Tommy Dover. Dover has been steady on the face-offs and a physically mature young man that can handle playing in the big moments. Neal said that Dover, Ferraro and Obadia help dictate the team’s pace of play this campaign.
The Vikings still have last year’s semifinal defeat to Syosset fresh in their minds. They will look to use that devastating loss as motivation to go deeper this season. There’s a lot
of talent and confidence in the team’s ability to rise to the occasion. As the games become more important, they feel they have what it takes to win it all.
“With the amount of effort, hard work and sacrifice we put in, we definitely can get back there and go further,” said Obadia. “There’s not a bunch of superstars on our team like last year, but there are some guys who are willing to do what it takes.”
