Mineola Lacrosse Gets Playoff Win

Tim Gill limped to the Mineola sideline and collapsed on the turf. It sent a collective gasp through the crowd on hand Tuesday at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium.  

All Gill had done to that point was score four times in three quarters. The trainer immediately went to work on Gill’s left calf.  

“I was trying to get back in as hard as I could,” Gill said. “I was just cramping up, but having a fun day.”  

The Mineola boys lacrosse team, making only its second playoff appearance in a decade, shrugged off the loss. Josh Lopes scored an insurance goal 1:20 later as the fourth-seeded Mustangs earned an 8-4 win over No. 5 Oyster Bay in a Nassau Class C quarterfinal.  

Mineola led 6-4 when Gill left. Lopes extended the lead and Gill returned and found the net one more time to finish with 5 goals and an assist. The 5 goals tie a season high.  

“He’s super talented and he’s having the breakout year we expected,” said first-year Mineola Boys Lacrosse Coach Glenn Cocoman, a veteran who spent time at Division High School and Molloy College. “He had a big game today.”  

Related: Game Photos

The Mustangs (9-6) face No. 1 Cold Spring Harbor in a semifinal next Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at Hofstra.  

But first the Mustangs had to shake off pesky Oyster Bay (8-8). Mineola outlasted OB, 13-10, when the teams met in a regular season game last week. And the Baymen led 2-1 early in the second quarter Tuesday.  

St. John’s recruit Brian Gaffney, who scored 5 times against the Baymen last week, was held without a goal at Hofstra but added two assists.  

“We just needed to stop watching and waiting for Brian to do something and for someone else to step up,” Cocoman said.  

The defense, led by Mineola goalie John Clancy’s 10 saves, held. And Gill heated up.  

Gill scored back-to-back goals to give the Mustangs a 3-2 edge with 4:37 left in the opening half. Mineola would not trail again.

Now the Mustangs are on to the semifinals.  

Nassau Boys Lacrosse Playoffs
Class C Quarterfinal – At Hofstra
Teams…………...…1…..2…..3…..4 – F
Oyster Bay……..…1…..1…..2…..0 – 4
Mineola……….…...1.....3…..2…..2 – 8
Goals –  OB: Romero, Martinez, Hauser, Puccio; M: Gill 5, McCormack, Lockwood, Lopes. Saves – OB: Rodriguez 9; M: Clancy 10.