The fifth-seeded Port Washington Vikings girl’s varsity lacrosse team began their postseason run with a big win on the road against fourth-seed Syosset Braves, 7-5. These two teams met together for the first time this year in the Nassau A quarterfinals at Syosset High School on May 18.
Sophomore Allie Hoffman recorded a hat trick while junior Rachel Rosen scored twice and picked up two assists. Junior Lily Avazis and freshman Michaela Gearty also scored a goal apiece to round out the offense for the Lady Vikings. Junior goaltender Claudia Hanover made nine saves in the win.
Vikings Head Coach Kaitlyn Carter was very proud with the girls’ effort and compete level in the opening round victory.
“It was very exciting” said Carter. “We made quite a few mistakes in the second half that we have to eliminate in the next game but it was exciting. They had heart, came out swinging and they wanted to win. So they won.”
In the first half, the Vikings outscored the Braves, 5-2. Despite allowing the first goal with roughly three-and-a-half minutes into the game, the Vikings would respond with four unanswered goals. This lead would prompt the Braves to call a timeout with about 14 minutes left in the first half. Hoffman and Rosen would score two goals each while Gearty added one before the Braves used their timeout.
The Vikings outworked and outplayed the Braves in all three zones. Defensively, they collapsed in front of Hanover and stood the opposition up at the line before entering the offensive zone. On the other side of the field, the girls just kept coming and upped the pressure, which allowed them to capitalize on their chances. They also took advantage of the Braves’ mistakes and made them pay.
In the second half, The Braves outscored the Vikings, 3-2. The Vikings would strike early with two goals roughly three minutes apart, giving them a 7-2 lead. Avazis got the scoring started and Hoffman completed the hat trick to round out the second-half scoring for the Vikings.
“Allie has flied under the radar and she’s been good for us” said Carter. “We’re lucky to have her.”
The Braves would then respond with two goals of their own, as they would cut the lead to 7-4. This would cause Carter to call a time-out to allow the girls to regroup. The Braves would score one more time with twelve-and half left in the second to make it 7-5. This would be as far as they would get as the Vikings would eventually hold on to seal the deal.
After the last goal scored by Syosset in the second half, the game turned into a defensive battle filled with heart and will. With Carter using the team’s second time-out at the 9:44 mark and Syosset calling theirs with 30 seconds left, things would come down to the wire. On the sidelines, the girls and coaching staff were on the edge of their seats until the final sound and they found a way to nail it down. Hanover stood tall in the net and the team in front of her did a great job defensively to keep their season going. Carter stated that the second half was nail-biting due to her team spending a lot of time in their own zone.
“My heart was literally pounding out of my chest,” said Carter. “Literally, especially when they kept shooting.”
With this impressive win, the Vikings will now advance to the semifinal game against top-seeded Massapequa on May 24 at 4 p.m. at Adelphi University. In order for the Vikings to go out and win, it will take the same intensity, just like the Syosset game: playing with a lot of heart and hard work.
