Girls Varsity Lacrosse Clinches Conference Title During Port Washington Lacrosse Day

Schreiber's first opponent on Saturday's annual Port Washington Lacrosse Day was Mother Nature. Rain wiped out the day's first game — the girls junior varsity at 9:30 a.m. — and delayed the other three. But when the weather cleared, the Vikings and Lady Vikings took the field, the fans took their places, and the excitement began.

The girls varsity team got underway shortly after noon, following a one-hour delay.  The Lady Vikings first score came in the first minute of the game, and they pounded Long Beach the rest of the way, running the score up to 14-2 by halftime. In the second half the teams played evenly, each scoring twice for a final score of 16-4. Alexa Froccaro scored seven times and had three assists, Jackie Froccaro had four goals, and Chrissy Commons added two along with three assists. Three other Lady Vikings scored once each to help complete the team's undefeated Conference III season (7-0-1) and clinch the conference championship.

"We're extremely proud of the season that these girls are having," said Leslie Froccaro, Alexa's mother. "Their coaches are doing an amazing job with them, and it's a pleasure to watch them."

Danielle Rosmarin, a junior varsity Vikings lacrosse player who was watching the match, said she was impressed by the way the varsity team played. "They work well as a team," Rosmarin said.

Another spectator, Tony Pacia, was equally awed. "We like the way the girls are playing this year," he said. "They're really playing like a team."

The day was far more difficult on the field for the boys varsity and junior varsity teams, who fell to physical and aggressive Hicksville squads. The boys JV dropped their game, 14-4, with goals by Victor Lee, Sawyer Block, Derek Caruso and Caleb Jenkinson.

"I think we were competitive at the beginning, but as soon as we get down by a couple of points we lose the competitive edge," said Jenkinson's father, Greg. "But it's a great day and a great game."

The day's finale pitted the boys varsity against a deep, talented and ultimately superior Hicksville squad.

John Crawley, watching from the sidelines as Hicksville took a quick 2-0 lead, knew this matchup would be a test for the varsity squad, which his son John is a member of. "Today will be about hanging in tough with this team that last year won it all," Crawley said. "We're not expecting a win today, but if we play well that's a good sign going into the playoffs, and that's what we're really getting ready for."

Crawley went on to praise the coaching staff. "Coach [Joe] Mascaretti has done an amazing job with a team that was not deep, with a team that lost so many seniors from last year," he said. "And [assistant coach Vincent] DellaSperanza has done an amazing job with this offense."

On this day, though, the Vikings could not match Hicksville on either side of the field. The offense was thwarted by a Hicksville defense that never allowed them to set up effectively, stripping the ball away, and — most significantly — denying them shots on goal. The Vikings only managed one goal in each of the first three quarters, and two goals in the fourth quarter, giving them five on the day. But Hicksville scored that many in the first quarter alone, securing a 13-5 win. Jake Froccaro led the Vikings with two goals and one assist.

On the sidelines, Victoria Gordon's satisfaction with this Vikings varsity squad was not diminished. "I congratulate them on a great season so far," she said. "They had a great ceremony for the graduating seniors on the team, and we're going to give the whole team a major celebratory barbeque."

Both the boys and girls varsity teams have qualified for the playoffs and will finish out the regular season this week.