Vikings Lacrosse Falls to Syosset in Home Finale

Life in lacrosse consists of a series of transitions and as games mirror life, sometimes the transitions aren't very smooth. This is what happened in the varsity lacrosse team's 9-5 loss to Syosset at Schreiber High School on Tuesday.

The Syosset Braves (7-3 Conference I, 8-3 overall) were energetic and enthusiastic from the start and even during the pre-game, they warmed up and chanted in unison. Port's weak first quarter resulted in only one goal scored by defenseman Josh Potter, compared to a four-goal period by the Braves. "We allowed them to jump out to an early lead," coach Joe Mascaretti explained after the game. "It seemed like we never recovered."

In an effort to recapture lost passion the Vikings (5-5 Conference I, 8-6 overall) tried to step it up during the second quarter as the team looked to run a little faster and checked a tad harder. With each team netting two second-quarter goals, the score was 6-3 at the half.

"They shut down our offense pretty well," said John Crawley, a freshman attacker on the Schreiber squad.

Eddie Sigman, a sophomore defenseman, added, "They were better at finishing on their opportunities."

The Vikings were outscored 3-2 in the second half, leading to a 9-5 loss in their final home game of the season.

Coach Mascaretti summed up the game by saying, "It's very difficult to give a team like Syosset that much of a head start and expect to win."

Time continues to tell and more will continue to be revealed on Thursday in the Vikings' season finale against Valley Stream Central at Firemen's Field.

"Although we are disappointed with the losses we suffered, I think we learned a lot in the last few games," senior Jake Froccaro said. "We now know that we can easily compete with the top teams in Nassau County. Hopefully, if we correct all the little mistakes that we made during the last couple of games, we can be successful in the playoffs and in our last game."

The team is tentatively scheduled for a road playoff game on Thursday, May 20. Their opponent has yet to be determined.

"Overall, I think each day we are working hard during practice and every game we make improvements and eventually we are hoping to tie it all together and make a run in the playoffs," Froccaro said. "Of course, we never want to lose a game, but I think losing in the regular season will benefit us in the playoffs because we won't make the same mistakes and we will know what needs to be done to get a win in the playoffs."