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Sports

Mineola Boys Lacrosse Earns First Conference Win Against Clarke

Mustangs outgun Rams for 16-11 in shotfest at Hampton Street.

Some games tend to be battles. Others tend to be wars. It was more the latter Friday afternoon at between the boys varsity lacrosse teams from Mineola and Clarke which took nearly two hours to complete before the Mustangs emerged victorious 16-11.

and with a couple of injuries on the field and a shoving match of sorts in the heat of battle… but ended with both coaches praising each other’s team and the intensity of play.

“This is always a tight game, it tends to be close,” Mineola coach Mike Perro said. “It was a physical and intense battle, but this is always a tight game between these two teams.”

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In was also an important step for the Mustangs, who are now 5-7 on the season, but now 1-4 in league action, their first conference win and counting towards a possible playoff berth, according to Perro.

“My team knew it was important to win today, to keep their playoff hopes running,” he said. “Clarke turned up the intensity, but we turned up the intensity too.”

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Both teams set to work firing at the net after the first face off, knowing the score at three apiece eight minutes into the match. But Mineola managed to pull ahead by two in the waning minutes of the first quarter with goals from Josh Lopes and Steven Napolitano.

Clarke kept Mineola goalie Matt Moro busy in the second, registering 10 of his 16 saves of the day – letting goals from Lauia Shane and Mike Martiello slip through. The Mustangs retaliated with shots in the net from Brian Gaffney, Joe Massaro and Spencer Wolf to maintain the three goal advantage.

The Mustangs extended their lead to six in the first five minutes of the second half by going on a run sparked, at least in part, by a harrying ‘full court’ ability to disrupt the Ram’s clearing game. Several Mustangs got in on the action, including Gaffney and William Cashin, who Perro singled out for praise. “Cashin was a one-man machine out there today,” the Mineola coach said.

The Rams stormed back in the fourth, narrowing the margin to four in the first minute, before a goal from Napolitano with 9:18 remaining, and another at 7:49 by Gaffney in a man-up situation put it at 15-9, with Moro allowing only two more past his stick in the contest.

Next up for the Mustangs is an important contest (1-43, 4-6 overall), who stands between Mineola and a clear hold on fifth place in Nassau County Conference IV. The regular season will wrap up with games against and , two teams that are currently below the Mustangs in the standings.

1 2 3 4 F Clarke 3 3 2 3 11 Mineola 5 4 4 3 16 Mineola Scoring Statistics Player Goals Assts Brian Gaffney 4 5 Steve Napolitano 4 0 Spencer Wolf 3 0 Joe Massaro 2 0 William Cashin 1 1 Tim Gill 1 1 Josh Lopes 1 1 Mineola Goalkeeping Saves Matt Moro 16
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