Long Island Lacrosse

BY CHRIS MASCARO

Hey everyone, I was down at West Islip this morning to catch a full day of sports (scroll down for N-Zone video at West Islip).

First on tap was the top-seeded Lady Lions against No. 4 West Babylon.

(By the way, the West Islip boys beat Lindenhurst 7-3 a few hours after the girls game in the Class A semis, and were never in danger, as they held a 6-1 lead after three quarters.)

In the girls game, West Islip led 10-5 late in the first half and went into the break up 10-7, but West Babylon went on a 9-2 run to start the second half, capped by Sam Rush's game-high fourth goal at the 6:37 mark.

West Islip scored the next three goals (the last coming with just 31 seconds left) to pull within one at 16-15, but West Babylon won the ensuing faceoff and All-American Shannon Smith weaved in and out of double and triple teams to run out the clock.

For Smith, it was the return to the same field where one month and one day ago she suffered a badly sprained ankle, which caused her to miss West Babylon's last six regular season games. West Bab, which was the top team in Division I when Smith went down, went 4-2 during that stretch, costing them a chance at the top seed in the playoffs. So it is ironic that West Islip eventually snagged that spot and stood in the way of West Babylon's playoff run.

Smith (the New York state leader in goals in a career) was held to just three goals (she averages more than eight per game), and Alyssa Murray scored just once. West Islip's strategy was clearly to keep the ball out of West Babylon's playmakers' hands, but the supporting cast, including Rush (four goals), Jocelyn Dawson and Katie Harrison (three goals apiece) stepped up their games and got the job done.

Rebecca Monteith (four goals, two assists) and Sara Sangiorgio (two goals, four assists) led West Islip (16-2), which ends it season in disappointing fashion, but can take solace in the fact that they made it further than any other West Islip girls lax team in school history.

West Babylon (15-4) will take on the Bay Shore/Northport winner at 8 p.m. on Tuesday at Dowling in what should be an exciting final regardless of the competition.

The West Babylon-Northport game on April 16 (which West Bab won, 14-12) was easily one of the most competitive games of the season with an outstanding collection of talent. Bay Shore defeated West Babylon 19-13 on May 8, but it was during Smith's time out with the ankle injury.

The Class B and C finals are also Tuesday at Dowling, here are the matchups:

B: No. 1 Rocky Point vs. No. 3 Sayville, 3 p.m.
C: No. 1 Shoreham-Wading River vs. No. 3 Mount Sinai, 5:30 p.m.

BY JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

Welcome to the Nassau Class A Semifinals from Hofstra. I will be giving you a quarter by quarter update today since I have to write two stories.

FIRST QUARTER

Hicksville got goals from Sullo and Cranmer and one as time expired from Kirchiem on a pass from Geneva. Long Beach saw O'Toole and Keane find the back of the net.

3-2 Hicksville

SECOND QUARTER

No goals

3-2 Hicksville

THIRD QUARTER

Long Beach scores four straight goals to end a five goal quarter.

7-5 Long Beach

Long Beach wins 9-7.

BY RODERICK BOONE

Less than a week after his season ended with a disappointing loss to Johns Hopkins in the semifinals, Duke senior Matt Danowski of Farmingdale watched Syracuse's Mike Leveille take home the Tewaaraton Award, given annually to the best player in the nation, Thursday night.

Danowski finished his career as the all-time leading scorer in Division I, but fell shy of winning the ultimate prize -- a championship -- the last two seasons. He won the coveted award last season and was the front-runner at the beginning of the year to take it home again.

For Leveille, it's been a pretty good week hasn't it? He was named the most outstanding player at the NCAA championship in Foxborough, Mass. on Monday, then taken third overall in the MLL Draft by New Jersey Wednesday, and now this.

FYI: Northwestern's Hannah Neilsen received the women's Tewaaraton.

Also, for those who might be looking for this year's USILA All-Americans, they are below for your enjoyment.

DIVISION I
FIRST TEAM
Attack
Matt Danowski Duke University
Zack Greer Duke University
Mike Leveille Syracuse University
Midfield
Steve Brooks Syracuse University
Nick O'Hara Duke University
Paul Rabil Johns Hopkins University
Max Seibald Cornell University
Defense
Ken Clausen University of Virginia
Dan Cocoziello Princeton University
Jerry Lambe Georgetown University
Goalie:
Joey Kemp University of Notre Dame
SECOND TEAM:
Attack:
Kevin Buchanan The Ohio State University
Dan Glading University of Virginia
Ben Rubeor University of Virginia
Midfield:
Ned Crotty Duke University
John Glynn Cornell University
Terry Kimener University of Maryland Baltimore County
Stephen Peyser Johns Hopkins University
Defense:
Joe Cinosky Universit of Maryland
Jordan DiNola United States Naval Academy
Tony McDevitt Duke University
Goalie:
Jordan Burke Brown University
THIRD TEAM:
Attack:
Brandon Corp Colgate University
Kevin Huntley Johns Hopkins University
Max Quinzani Duke University
Midfield:
Matt Abbott Syracuse University
Brian Carroll University of Virginia
Ben Hunt University of North Carolia
Matt Lalli Colgate University
Brad Ross Duke University
Defense:
Matthew Bocklet Johns Hopkins University
Sean Dougherty University of Notre Dame
Michael Evans Johns Hopkins University
Goalie:
Adam Fullerton United States Military Acadeym
Dan Loftus Duke University
HONORABLE MENTION:
Attack:
Garrett Billings University of Virginia
Brendan Cannon Georgetown University
Joel Dalgarno The Ohio State University
Curtis Dickson University of Delaware
Ryan Hoff University of Notre Dame
Ryan Hurley Cornell University
Shane Koppens Loyola College
Jamie Lincoln University of Denver
Jordan McBride Stony Brook University
Nicholas Mirabito United States Naval Academy
Kenny Nims Syracuse University
Ryan Smith University of Maryland Baltimore County
Ari Sussman Dartmouth College
Daryl Veltman Hobart College
Austin Winter Bucknell University
Midfield:
Dan Brennan Syracuse University
Barney Ehrmann Georgetown University
Dan Hardy Syracuse University
Adam Jones Canisius College
Mark Kovler Princeton University
Peter Lamade University of Virginia
Jordan Levine University at Albany
Anthony Muscarella Hofstra University
Justin Pennington Rutgers University
Michael Podgajny University of Notre Dame
Peet Poillon The Ohio State University
Jeff Reynolds University of Maryland
Mike Timms University of Virginia
Nick Tintle University of North Carolina
Defense:
Bobby Atwell University of Maryland Baltimore County
Brian Farrell University of Maryland
Kyle Guadagnolo Syracuse University
Ben Johnston Providence College
Tim Kaiser University of North Carolina
Parker McKee Duke University
Matt Moyer Cornell University
Sidney Smith Syracuse University
Goalie:
Andrew Adams Penn State University
Bruce Bickford Drexel University
Jeremy Blevins University of Maryland Baltimore County
Alex Hewitt Princeton University
Stefan Schroder The Ohio State University

DIVISION II
FIRST TEAM:
Attack:
Greg Cerar C.W. Post College
Ed Ege Adelphi University
Mike McDonald LeMoyne College
Midfield:
Alex Bily LeMoyne College
Nicholas Cotter Dowling College
Kevin Hennessy New York Institute of Technology
Defense:
Drew Bezek LeMoyne College
Brett Neal New York Institute of Technology
Matt Pinder Limestone College
Goalie:
Jason LaShomb Mercyhurst College
Specialist:
Jesse Corben Adelphi University
SECOND TEAM:
Attack:
Keith Henderson New York Institute of Technology
Greg Rogowski Merrimack College
Brendan Storrier Limestone College
Midfield:
Matt Dimler C.W. Post College
Keith Galante Molloy College
Justin Haworth Limestone College
Matt Messina New York Institute of Technology
Defense:
Bryan Leonard C.W. Post College
Christian Scuderi New York Institute of Technology
Matt Spahr Mercyhurst College
Goalie:
Doug McIver LeMoyne College
Specialist:
Michael Cama C.W. Post College
Stephen Moriarty Pace University
HONORABLE MENTION:
Attack:
Ryan Campbell Dowling College
Kyle Costello Wingate University
Kurt Green Catawba College
David Loftus C. W. Post College
Midfield:
Nick Gatto LeMoyne College
Michael Thon Mercyhurst College
Steve Torkington Wingate University
Defense:
Mike Malone LeMoyne College
Matthew Murnane Bryant University
Matt Puccio Catawba College
Kyle Rubisch Dowling College
Goalie:
Bob Humann Molloy College
Cory Spinale Merrimack College
Specialist:
Andrew Hennessey Bryant University

DIVISION III
FIRST TEAM
Attack:
Ryan Heath SUNY Cortland
Matt Hickman Salisbury University
Matt Nelligan Ithaca College
Midfield:
Kylor Berkman Salisbury University
Adam Hyde SUNY Cortland
Mike Stone Middlebury College
Long Pole Midfielder:
Brandon Rose Ithaca College
Short Stick Specialist:
Josh Cittadino SUNY Cortland
Defense:
Nick Bueti SUNY Cortland
Andrew McGann Gettysburg College
Ben Sandlin Salisbury University
Goalie:
Alex Baruch Denison University
SECOND TEAM:
Attack:
Joe Brody Gettysbury College
Billy Fuchs SUNY Cortland
Chris Read Washington College
Midfield:
Ryan Cranston Lynchburg College
Craig Leplane Ithaca College
Ben Sufrin Gettysburg College
Long Pole Midfielder:
Tommy Kehoe Gettysburg College
Short Stick Specialist:
Travis Brown Western New England College
Defense:
James Guay Middlebury College
Terence Malangone Wesleyan University
Neth Wiedermann Ithaca College
Goalie:
Garrett Curran Lynchburg College
THIRD TEAM:
Attack:
Casey Grugan Cabrini College
William McKee St. Lawrence University
Steve Weis Lynchburg College
Midfield:
Aaron Civalier Nazareth College
Jon Hayes Western New England College
Jonathan Miller Union College
Long Pole Midfielder:
Colin Dunn Hampden-Sydney College
Short Stick Specialist:
Stu Whelehan Gettysburg College
Defense:
Chris Perzinski Lynchburg College
Alex Pritzlaff Hampden-Sydney College
Jacob Tuller Rochester Institute of Technology
Goalie:
Greg Lamb Clarkson University
HONORABLE MENTION:
Attack:
Logan Bobzien Ithaca College
Grayson Connors Wesleyan University
Nick Cosco Endicott College
Mike Distler Haverford College
Trip Dyer Gettysburg College
Russ Follansbee Wesleyan College
Richie Ford Villa Julie College
Steve Kazimer Villa Julie College
Mike Kelly Western New England College
Jordan Kenney Virginia Wesleyan College
Kolyn Kirby Washington College
Michael Pizzuto SUNY Geneseo
Scott Reimer Cabrini College
Brody Savoie Western New England College
Gregory Titus Salisbury University
Midfield:
Johnny Black Lynchburg College
Jim Cabrera Middlebury College
Charles Carlson Roanoke College
Hunter Combs Colorado College
Chris Eccles Ohio Wesleyan University
Kyle Farris Muhlenberg College
Greg Furshman Villa Julie College
Dean Granoff Haverford College
Jared Harriman Gettysburg College
Rich Mackessy Denison University
Dane Mangin Ursinus College
Dan Maude Denison University
Matt McKinney Cabrini College
Tyler Montgomery Springfield College
Tommy O'Donnell Gettysburg College
Eddie O'Reilly Endicott College
Dan Rago Rochester Institute of Technology
Bruce Richardson Salisbury University
Andrew Ruocco Rochester Institute of Technology
Harry St. John Washington and Lee University
Donald Toby SUNY Maritime
Mike VonKamecke Salisbury University
Defense:
John Bambrick Middlebury College
Joel Censer Haverford College
Philip Davenport Rochester Institute of Technology
Michael DeGiovanni Drew University
John Deluca Muhlenberg College
Connor Gerken Washington College
Tucker Merrigan Tufts University
Jeff Moore Cabrini College
Brian Orr Bowdoin College
Jared Pabis Western New England College
Yanni Peary Gettysburg College
Joel Sovie SUNY Geneseo
Goalie:
Chris Body Western New England College
Gordon Cohen Washington College
David Decker Stevens Institute of Technology
Zach Furshman Gettysburg College
Eric Hagarty Endicott College
Mark Moran Connecticut College

BY RODERICK BOONE

Congrats to Bethpage's Tom Michaelsen are in order. He became the first St. John's men's lacrosse player to ever be selected in the MLL draft. Below is a release from the St. John's athletic department.

Of course, he isn't the only local product to get drafted. So for a complete recap of the entire draft, click here.

RELEASE
Senior Tom Michaelsen continues to make history for the St. John’s lacrosse program as he was selected by the San Francisco Dragons in the fifth round of the Major League Lacrosse Draft Wednesday night in Hoboken, N.J. Michaelsen is the first-ever Red Storm player to compete in one of the two professional lacrosse leagues.

“To be the first St. John’s lacrosse player to play professional lacrosse is very exciting,” said Michaelsen. “I am really honored to represent my school at such a high level.”

Michaelsen was the seventh pick for the Dragons, a member of the MLL’s Western Conference, and the 42nd pick in the overall draft, which included eight players from St. John’s conference, the ECAC.

“I’m pleased that Tom made the most of this chance,” said Red Storm head coach Jason Miller. “Our entire program is proud of him and proud to be represented by him in the company of the Danowski’s, Levielle’s, Rabil’s and other outstanding seniors in this 2008 class.”

The draft was held at Stevens Tech in Hoboken. It was an all day affair which included a combine in the morning to test the skills and agility of the country’s top 40 collegiate players followed by a scrimmage in front of the MLL’s commissioner David Gross, general managers and coaches. The actual draft began at 8:30 p.m. Paul Rabil from Johns Hopkins was the overall No. 1 pick by the Boston Cannons.

“When I first received the phone call inviting me to the combine I was extremely excited,” said Michaelsen. “I saw it as a great opportunity to display my skills in front of the pro scouts. It was a very long day but well worth it. My heart was pounding the whole day because I knew this could make or break me.”

Of the eight ECAC schools, St. John’s was one of five represented in this spring’s draft. University of Massachusetts had the most with three players selected, followed by Georgetown with two and Loyola and Hobart with one each.

Over his four-year career with the Red Storm, Michaelsen, a Bethpage native has created a legacy for the next generation of St. John’s lacrosse players to follow. One of the 10 members of the 2008 senior class who helped rebuild the program after its reinstatement in 2005, Michaelsen was the first player to earn All-ECAC honors in 2007, and last weekend was the first player since 1990 to be selected to play in the annual USILA Senior North/South All-Star Game.

In his senior season, he was named a National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) All-American, earned the Francis A. McCall Memorial Award as the team MVP and became the fifth player in St. John’s history to reach 100 career points.

In his collegiate career, Michaelsen tallied 71 goals and 46 assists for 117 points, making him fourth in career assists, fifth on the all-time leading scorer list and tied for fifth in career goals in the St. John’s record books. As a sophomore in 2006, he earned the team’s offensive MVP award.

A four-year starter, Michaelsen led the Red Storm squad in points for three-straight seasons. He earned eight ECAC weekly honors, including Co-Offensive Player of the Week on May 5, 2008 and was the league’s rookie of the week twice in 2005. He tallied 11 hat tricks in 50 games with the Red Storm.

The San Francisco Dragons began their 2008 season last weekend against the Chicago Machine. The Dragons will open its home schedule this weekend against the Los Angeles Riptide on May 31. Michaelsen is most likely to travel to the West Coast to begin play immediately.

Red Storm assistant coach Brian Jacovina is also a member of the MLL’s Western Conference as part of the Denver Outlaws. Michaelsen and Jacovina are scheduled to play each other three times over the 2008 season. Before Jacovina became an assistant with St. John’s, the pair played each other in conference play in the Massachusetts-St. John’s rivalry.

The Dragons picked up seven players in Wednesday’s draft, including Michaelsen’s ECAC foe Daryl Veltman from Hobart, and Brendan Loftus of the 2008 NCAA Championship team, Syracuse.

Michaelsen will be back on the East Coast to play the Long Island Lizards on July 26.

BY JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

Greetings everyone from the Hofstra Press Box. I will be updating you on all the action in what should be an intense semifinal match up between Massapequa and Syosset, the defending Nassau Class A county final.

FIRST QUARTER

Jeff Cohen scores of a pass from Matt Albert five seconds in.

1-0 Syosset

Cross check penalty on Massapequa. Syosset is man up for a minute.

Massapequa kills the penalty with help from a great save buy Rosenzweig.

Wachler scores at 6:29 from around the cage.

2-0 Syosset

Wachler scores on a long pass from Cohen to the right side of the net with 4:53 left.

3-0 Syosset

Vigilante scores on a pass from Sadoff with 22 second left for Massapequa.

3-1 Syosset

SECOND QUARTER

Cohen bounces one in on the right side off a pass from Adam Wachler 19 seconds in.

4-1 Syosset

Albert scores from 10 yards out.

5-1 Syosset

Time out Syosset, which has dominated every aspect of the game so far. Massapequa has had chances.

Schneider replaced Rosenzweig in goal for Massapequa.

Leverne scores a man up goal on a pass from Loftus.

6-1 Syosset

Leverne scores on a run to the right side.

7-1 Syosset

Vigilante cuts and scores on a pass from Aiello with 1:21 left.

7-2 Syosset

Wachler turns a beautiful doge into a goal along the crease.

8-2 Syosset

SYOSSET LEADS 8-2 AT THE HALF

The Braves have used their athletic ability, some great cuts and excellent play in goal from Eddie Cohen to put together a very very impressive first half. Massapequa have taken six less shots then Syosset and has four less turnovers. Syosset has only cleared the ball at a 50 percent clip.

THIRD QUARTER

Laverene scores on a pass from Loftus

9-2 Syosset

Iacona goal at 7:47

9-3 Syosset

Vigilante scores his third goal

9-4 Syosset

Tesoriero scores on a pass from Wachler

Vigilante scores his third goal

10-4 Syosset

FOURTH QUARTER

Wachler scores

11-4 Syosset

Iacona bounces one past Cohen

11-5 Syosset

SYOSSET WINS 11-5

BY CHRIS MASCARO

The Suffolk Class B and C girls lacrosse semifinals were yesterday afternoon, and there were a couple of upsets, as No. 3 Mount Sinai defeated No. 2 Bayport-Blue Point in Class C, and No. 3 Sayville knocked off No. 2 Eastport-South Manor in Class B.

Mount Sinai's 13-12 win was less surprising to me for two reasons: 1. because they've been there before, and 2. because they have two stars (All-American Colleen McCaffrey and Erin Fitzgerald, an All-County player) who can carry a team in the playoffs.

Mount Sinai will face top-seeded Shoreham-Wading River in the Class C final for the second straight year. The Mustangs lost 23-14 in last year's final, and things should be no different this year against the defending state champs from SWR.

Yes, Mount Sinai came within a goal of SWR when the teams played on May 12, but Shoreham has too many weapons and I could see a blowout in the final.

That game will be played on June 3 at 5:30 p.m. at the Dowling Sports Complex. Earlier that same day, No. 1 Rocky Point will take on Sayville in the Class B final, and like SWR, Rocky Point will be an overwhelming favorite. When the teams matched up in the regular season on April 15, Rocky Point won 15-5.

Also, all four Suffolk Class A quarterfinal matchups are this afternoon at 4 p.m. They are as follows:

No. 8 Lindenhurst at No. 1 West Islip
No. 5 North Babylon at No. 4 West Babylon
No. 11 Ward Melville at No. 3 Bay Shore
No. 10 Floyd at No. 2 Northport

I'm going to go with all of the favorites, with one caveat—if Shannon Smith doesn't play for West Bab, I think North Bab will prevail. Smith, who missed the last 6 1/2 games with a sprained ankle, is a game-time decision.

It will also be interesting to see if rust is a factor for the top 5 seeds, all of which haven't played since May 20 (and North Bab only had a scrimmage).

We'll shall see.

Enjoy the games!

Nick O'Reilly had five goals and Colin Sterling had three goals for top-seeded South Side in an easy 14-2 win over No. 9 Bethpage in a Nassau Class B quarterfinal at Hofstra late Tuesday night. The Cyclones breezed through the first half with a 7-2 lead and put the game away by outscoring Bethpage 4-0 in the third quarter. South Side will face No. 4 Wantagh, a 12-7 winner over Hewlett, in a semifinal on Thursday at Hofstra.

SCORE BY PERIOD 1 2 3 4 Tot
Bethpage 1 1 0 0 - 2
South Side 3 4 4 3 - 14

Bethpage scoring: GOALS: Kevin Glueckert 1; John Feminella 1. ASSISTS: Rob Masi 1.

South Side scoring: GOALS: Nick O'Reilly 5; Colin Serling 3; Kyle Smith
1; Gavin Ahern 1; Pat Tighe 1; Brendan O'Hagan 1; Tim Krutzler 1; Bryan Gerrato
1. ASSISTS: Colin Serling 2; Kyle Smith 2; Gavin Ahern 1; Pat McTague 1; Brendan
O'Hagan 1; Pat Tighe 1.

BY DARREN SANDS

Note: Massapequa beat Baldwin, 15-8.

I'm trying to figure out which pair of quarterfinal matchups in Nassau Class A are more intriguing: Hicksville-Farmingdale and MacArthur-Long Beach at 2 and 6 p.m. tomorrow, or today's games between Massapequa-Baldwin and Syosset-Oceanside.

I, for one, was not surprised that Jeff Cohen scored six goals to power Syosset past Oceanside, 10-9. But you've gotta feel for Oceanside. They play well all season and then all of a sudden you've got to contain an All-American to save your season. Syosset, though they are the four-seed, is my favorite to win the tournament.

Baldwin has been on fire of late, and we'll find out if they were able to upset No. 1 Massapequa. Baldwin has senior leadership, a solid goalie in McHale and fast middies -- in my opinion when you have those three you have a shot to beat anyone, especially in the playoffs. We're expecting that result to be on our website anytime now.

As for the Long Beach game tomorrow, they should have no problem with MacArthur. Not to say that Chris Bergersen and Co. won't have those boys ready to play, but Long Beach has way too much firepower. Long Beach won the regular season game, 13-6, back in April.

As for Hicksville and Farmingdale, Farmingdale's mission is clear: Lock off Frank Kirchiem and hope for the best. So maybe it's not that simple, but since Keenan Ochwat will play his next lacrosse game at Ohio State, it's tough to say how well the Dalers will do tomorrow. Hicksville beat Farmingdale in their game nearly two weeks ago, a game in which Ochwat was injured. I'm only guessing about who will win (Dalers 9-8) but I know who'll be cheering the loudest (K.O.).

Hofstra, for the quarterfinals?

How do you guys feel about these quarterfinal games in Class A and B being played at Hofstra? I would think it would be more desirable for the higher-seed to host a game at their home field, and then just play the semifinals on the field turf at HU. It would be great for us because we get a nice press box and wireless access to file our stories, but we don't start covering games in Class A and B generally until the semifinals.

NASSAU

Beau Miller, Hewlett, Jr. Attack

Miller scored a game-high seven goals and added one assist for No. 5 Hewlett (11-5) in a 18-9 win over No. 12 Mepham in the first round of the Nassau Class B playoffs.

SUFFOLK

Matt Muzio, Middle Country, Sr., Attack

Muzio scored four goals and dished out two assists for No. 8 Middle Country (12-3) in an 8-5 win over No. 9 in the first round of the Suffolk Class A playoffs.

BY JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

SUFFOLK A QUARTERFINALS

No. 3 Half Hollow Hills West (14-3) vs. No. 6 Lindenhurst (13-5)

Half Hollow Hills West is playing as well as any team of late and would love to get a little pay back for a tough loss earlier this season. The Colts 16-14 defeat at the hands of Lindenhurst opened their eyes to the what it takes to beat a top team in Division I. Hills West trailed 5-0 to start the game and mounted a furious comeback that fell shot. Lindenhurst has lost three of its last five games, with losses to both Smithtown teams and West Islip. This contest is one of contrasting styles. Hills West wants to get out in transition as much as possible and Lindenhurst is better passing and cutting in a controlled offense. John Conneelly and David DiMaria give Hills West a one-two punch that will be tough to contend with. Dan DiMaria should be able to control Lindenhurst's Nick Tandoi. The team that controls the pace will win this one. I am picking Half Hollow Hills West because I think they are peaking right now, have a tough offense to contain and have learned from the losses early in the season.

Winner: Half Hollow Hills West

No. 4 Smithtown West (12-6) vs. No. 5 Smithtown East (12-6)

The battle of the Smithtown's interests me the most out of the four games. It think the game is toss up as evident by Smithtown East's 7-6 win on May 19. Nick Travers scored the winner 13 seconds into overtime. Each team has a talented go-to-guy on offense with multiple solid weapons around them. For Smithtown East it's Sean Hickey and Brian Smalley for Smithtown West. Brennan Bailey is a shut down defender for Smithtown West and John Carroll gives Smithtown East the advantage in goal. I think Carroll in goal will be the big help for Smithtown East, which has come on of late. They will pull out another close and maybe overtime win.

Winner Smithtown East

No. 1 Ward Melville (17-0) and No. 2 West Islip (16-1) should win easily in their quarterfinal games. No. 8 Middle Country (13-5) and No. 7 Bay Shore (13-5) have both had excellent seasons, but are not on the level as two of the nations' best teams.

BY RODERICK BOONE

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- I'm sure with this weekend being the unofficial start of summer and all, some of you lacrosse heads out there might not have had time to keep up with the blow-by-blow of this year's NCAA men's championships.

I've got you covered.

For a recap of Hopkins' stunning win over Duke in the semis click here.

BY CHRIS MASCARO

Hey girls lacrosse fans, here is a quick recap of the first round action in Suffolk Class A (in which there were two upsets in three games) and Class B (where it was all chalk):

Class A: No. 8 Lindy, 13 -- No. 9 Smithtown East, 9
No. 10 Floyd, 10 -- No. 7 Sachem East, 8
No. 11 Ward Melville, 18 -- No. 6 East Islip, 17

In Thursday's quarterfinals at 4 p.m., Lindy visits top-seeded West Islip, Ward Melville travels to No. 3 Bay Shore, Floyd heads to No. 2 Northport and No. 4 West Babylon will play host to No. 5 North Babylon.

During the regular season, West Islip won at Lindy 15-13, Ward Melville lost a home game to Bay Shore 13-9, Northport crushed Floyd at home 21-2, and West Bab edged North Bab 19-16 at home.

In Class B: No. 3 Sayville, 17 -- No. 6 Islip, 12
No. 4 Hauppauge, 9 -- No. 5 Deer Park, 5
No. 2 Eastport-South Manor, 15 -- No. 7 Kings Park, 9

So tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m., Sayville will travel to ESM, while top-seeded Rocky Point will play host to Hauppauge.

Also tomorrow is the Class C semis, which pair No. 4 Babylon at No. 1 Shoreham-Wading River, and No. 3 Mount Sinai at No. 2 Bayport-Blue Point.

In other news, the Northwestern women's lacrosse team won its fourth straight national title with a 10-6 win over Penn on Sunday night at Towson University. Why is this significant to Long Island?

Well, four Long Island seniors were recruited by coach Kelly Amonte Hiller and will attend Northwestern next year. These four girls—Shannon Smith (West Babylon), Lacey Vigmostad (Northwestern), Brianne LoManto (Rocky Point) and Jessica Russo (St. Anthony's)—will be expected to bring Northwestern four more titles in as many years.

I spoke to Russo for this story in Sunday's paper, and spoke to her about expectations at Northwestern next season (which you can read below):

BY RODERICK BOONE

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Ok, so if you want to get all technical, we are in the Boston 'burbs. But as I prepare to exit stage left and head back to Long Island, I figured it would be a good idea to wrap things up before I hit the Mass. Pike. So here goes.

Let me empty the notebook and tape recorder first:

Saw Hofstra athletic director Jack Hayes, who's a good guy and someone I enjoy talking to by the way, on Saturday. After Hopkins stunned Duke, I asked him the obvious question: So does this take some of the sting out of losing in the first round to the Blue Jays? The short answer was yes. If you are going to lose, at least you lost to a team that went on to play for the national championship. No harm in that, right?

Don't think lacrosse's popularity is on a steady rise? There was a championship record crowd of 48,970 and the three-day total also set a new record.
"We are proud of the record-setting attendance that we had this weekend," Gillette Stadium VP of business development Dan Murphy said in a statement. "It was an exciting event highlighted by somem outstanding team and individual performances. ... We are encouraged by the first-year success of this event at Gillette Stadium and look foward to hosting an even bigger championship weekend next year."

BY RODERICK BOONE

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Tournament MVP Keith Henderson had five goals and Austin Carino and Ryan Amengual added hat tricks as NYIT topped two-time defending champ Le Moyne 16-11 in the Division II championship at Gillette Stadium minutes ago.

It's the fourth national championship for the Bears (13-1), who fell behind by five with 31 seconds to go in the first quarter.

Le Moyne (15-2) hadn't allowed more than seven goals in any game this season, but NYIT had nine at the half and led by two. The Bears staved off the Dolphins every time they made a run to get back into it and scored four times in the fourth to pull away.

The boys’ and girls’ North versus South All-American games headline the 2008 Under Armour Lacrosse Classic at Towson University’s Johnny Unitas Stadium on Saturday, July 12. The Boys' Under Armour All-America Game will be televised nationally live on ESPNU at 8:00 p.m.

UNDER ARMOUR BOYS’ ALL-AMERICANS – NORTH TEAM

Name Pos. Hometown/High School College

Bocklet, Chris Attack South Salem, NY/John Jay Virginia

Chanenchuk, Mike Midfield Setauket, NY/St. Anthony's Princeton

Cohen, Jeff Attack Syosset, NY/Syosset Harvard

Costabile, C.J. Defense New Fairfield, CT/New Fairfield Duke

DiMaria, Daniel Defense Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollow Hills West Harvard

Drew, Kevin Midfield South Salem, NY/John Jay Syracuse

Fortunato, Rob Goal Essex Fells, NJ/Montclair Kimberley Acad. Virginia

Grimm, Rob Midfield Black River, NY/Carthage UMBC

Mackrides, Matt Attack Newtown Square, PA/Malvern Prep Penn State

McDonough, Francis Midfield Garden City, NY/Garden City Georgetown

Meyers, Jonathan Defense Greenwich, CT/Greenwich Princeton

Ochwat, Keenan Defense Farmingdale, NY/Farmingdale Ohio State

Palasek, Tom Attack Rocky Point, NY/Rocky Point Johns Hopkins

Parnell, Spenser Midfield Lovettsville, VA/Fairfield Prep Syracuse

Puzes, Jarrid Defense Buffalo Grove, IL/Adlai Stevenson Virginia

Rastivo, Steven Goal South Setauket, NY/Ward Melville Penn State

Resetarits, Joe Attack Hamburg, NY/Hamburg Albany

Rogers, Sean Attack/Midfield New Hyde Park, NY/Holy Trinity Notre Dame

Rommel, Tim Midfield Syracuse, NY/Henninger Rutgers

Rotanz, Robert Midfield Westport, CT/Fairfield Prep Duke

Shakespeare, Mike Midfield Walpole, MA/The Governor's Academy Maryland

Smith, Bobby Defense Woodbine, NJ/The Lawrenceville School Notre Dame

Wiedmaier, Chad Defense Chatham, NJ/Delbarton Princeton

Head Coach: Skip Flanagan (Western Reserve Academy)

UNDER ARMOUR GIRLS’ ALL-AMERICANS – NORTH TEAM

Name Pos. Hometown/High School College

Appelt Sarah Midfield Garden City, NY/The Hun School Towson

Barnes, Kelly Midfield St. Davids, PA/Radnor Georgetown

Brennan, Erin Attack Garden City, NY/Garden City Penn

DeFliese, Dayna Midfield Garden City, NY/Garden City Massachusetts

Donovan, Liz Defense Ridgewood, NJ/Ridgewood Boston College

Frank, Alexandra Midfield Westwood, MA/Westwood Northwestern

Fucillo, Kelly Goal Camillus, NY/West Genesee Le Moyne

Kildare, Alyssa Defense Massapequa Park, NY/Farmingdale Johns Hopkins

Lo Manto, Brianne Goal Miller Place, NY/Rocky Point Northwestern

Lovett, Erin Attack Wantagh, NY/Kellenberg Georgetown

Massimi, Erin Midfield Westwood, MA/Westwood Dartmouth

McCaffrey, Colleen Midfield Mount Sinai, NY/Mt. Sinai Johns Hopkins

Nolan, Bridget Midfield Summit, NJ/Oak Knoll Duke

O'Brien, Katie Defense Winnetka, IL/Loyola Georgetown

Plumb, Sarah Midfield Wellesley, MA/Noble & Greenough Dartmouth

Previ, Barb Midfield Medford, NJ/Shawnee Princeton

Robinson, Chelsea Attack Putnam Valley, NY/Lakeland Virginia

Russo, Jessica Midfield Port Jefferson, NY/St. Anthony's Northwestern

Smith, Shannon Attack West Babylon, NY/West Babylon Northwestern

Taylor, Samantha Midfield Topsfield, MA/Pingree School Boston College

Thomas, Kat Midfield Latham, NY/Shaker Duke

Vigmostad, Lacey Defense Greenlawn, NY/Northport Northwestern

Head Coach: Bob Elmer (West Genesee)

BY JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

Nassau Class Quarterfinals Friday at the higher seeds.

No. 8 Baldwin vs. No. 9 Calhoun

Two evenly matched teams, so his one will be close.

Winner: Baldwin

No. 5 East Meadow vs. No. 5 Oceanside

Oceanside moment from the Syosset win will carry over.

Winner: Oceanside

No. 6 Hicksville vs. No. 11 Plainview JFK

Hicksville had won its last five

Winner: Hicksville

No. 7 Port Washington vs. No. 10 MacArthur

Port Washington beat MacArthur 8-7 in double overtime on May 19. This one will be just as close.

Winner Port Washington.

BY JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

Nassau Class Quarterfinals Friday at the higher seeds.

No. 8 Baldwin vs. No. 9 Calhoun

Two evenly matched teams, so his one will be close.

Winner: Baldwin

No. 12 East Meadow vs. No. 5 Oceanside

Oceanside moment from the Syosset win will carry over.

Winner: Oceanside

No. 6 Hicksville vs. No. 11 Plainview JFK

Hicksville had won its last five

Winner: Hicksville

No. 7 Port Washington vs. No. 10 MacArthur

Port Washington beat MacArthur 8-7 in double overtime on May 19. This one will be just as close.

Winner Port Washington.

BY CHRIS MASCARO

Hey everyone, I'll try to make this short and sweet this week. Here is this week's insider about Brianne LoManto and the Rocky Point squad, which is the top seed in Suffolk Class B and will likely meet Garden City in the L.I. Championship game for the fourth straight year (Garden City has won each of the past three meetings). You can read more about Rocky Point by clicking below...

Also in the insider, as always, are two players of the week and the top 10 rankings in each county. Here are the Long Island rankings for this week:

1. Garden City (15-0)
2. Shoreham-Wading River (15-1)
3. Farmingdale (13-1)
4. West Islip (14-1)
5. Northport (15-2)
6. Manhasset (11-4-1)
7. Rocky Point (13-3)
8. Massapequa (10-5)
9. Wantagh (9-5-1)
10. Bay Shore (13-4)

Also, here are the matchups for the first round of the Suffolk Class A playoffs tomorrow at 4 p.m. (with each team's Division I record):

-No. 9 Smithtown East (8-6) at No. 8 Lindenhurst (9-5) **the winner play at No. 1 West Islip (13-1) on 5/29 at 4 p.m.
-No. 11 Ward Melville (6-8) at No. 6 East Islip (9-5) **the winner plays at No. 3 Bay Shore (12-2) on 5/29 at 4 p.m.
-No. 10 Floyd (8-6) at No. 7 Sachem East (8-6) **the winner plays at No. 2 Northport (12-2) on 5/29 at 4 p.m.

In the other quarterfinal game on 5/29 No. 5 North Babylon (10-4) visits No. 4 West Babylon (11-3) at 4 p.m.

Couple of notes on these games:
-Ward Melville narrowly avoided missing the playoffs for the first time in team history. Ward Melville and East Islip played yesterday in each team's season finale, and East Islip prevailed, 14-12. This game should be a close one.

-Smithtown East defeated Lindenhurst 19-15 on May 5, and Sachem East beat Floyd by one, 13-12, on April 30. Again, both these games should be tight.

-As far as West Babylon is concerned, All-American Shannon Smith has been out since suffering an ankle injury against West Islip on April 30. Head coach Paul DiGiulio said last week that he was targeting the first-round playoff game as a potential return date, but whether she comes back at 100 percent or not is up in the air.

West Babylon lost just one game (to Garden City) at full strength. So if Smith is healthy, the Eagles could make a run at the title no matter who is in their path.

Speaking of Smith, she was mentioned in an SI.com article that featured Garden City's Erin Brennan.

So enjoy that, and enjoy the playoffs! We'll see you soon!

BY JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

It took to the final day of the regualar season to officially determine all the seeds. Here is how things did and will shake out for the first round of the Suffolk Class A playoffs. All the games will take place at the higher seed on Friday.

Undefeated Ward Melville earned the top seed. Two-time defending State champion West Islip is in the second spot. Both get first round byes.

Half Hollow Hills West's incredible come from behind win over Floyd and Smithtown East beating Smithtown West earned Hills West the No. 3 seed and the final first round bye.

Smithtown West is the fourth seed and plays No. 13 Northport in the first round. Look for Smithtown West to advance. In the quarterfinals Hills West should get a rematch with No. 6 Lindenhurst, which has stumbled a bit. Lindy killed No. 11 Connetquot during the regular season an should get by them in the opening round.

No. 5 Smithtown East has been one of the county's hottest teams over the last few weeks. The Bulls have won six of their last seven games and its one loss during that span was to West Islip. It should dispense of No. 12 Bellport and meet rival Smithtown West in the next round.

No. 9 Floyd takes on No. 8 Middle Country in prime time. Floyd is coming off an excruciating loss to Hills West, but this is a tough team with a good defense. They should win a close one and face Ward Melville in the quarterfinals.

The most intriguing first round match up is No. 7 Bay Shore and No. 10 East Islip. The teams did not play during the regular season, but East Islip is riding a hot streak coming into the game. It’s won its last five contests and got a historic performance out of Mike Lyons in the season finale.

He had six goals, a school-record nine assists and a school-record 15 points in a win over Longwood. East Islip has plenty of offensive weapons including Tim Moller and freshman Tyler Begley for Bay Shore, which has won four of its last five, to contend with.

Bay Shore’s balanced offense had received consistent play from Gary Guinta and Drew Motschwiller. It earned an impressive wins over Smithtown East this season and has put up good showing against the league’s top teams.

I think we will see and upset here. East Islip, which only lost to Ward Melville by a goal, will move on to play West Islip.

The Picks

Smithtown East
Smithtown West
Floyd
East Islip
Lindenhurst

BY CHRIS MASCARO

Before we get to what's on tap today in Suffolk Division I girls lacrosse and the possible playoff scenarios, let's check out the Class B and C brackets, which are already finalized.

In Class B, the first round games are tomorrow at 4 p.m. Here are the matchups (with overall records):

No. 5 Deer Park (9-7) at No. 4 Hauppauge (9-8) *the winner gets the unenviable task of facing Rocky Point (13-3) in the semifinals one week from tomorrow

No. 6 Islip (8-6) at No. 3 Sayville (10-6)
No. 7 Kings Park (8-8) at No. 2 Eastport-South Manor (12-3)

Rocky Point is the clear favorite in this class, and just to give some perspective on how heavy a favorite: the squad beat second-seeded ESM, 15-2, on April 11. So it's obviously the Eagles' bracket to lose, and a matchup against Garden City in the Long Island championship game is certainly the likely scenario.

In Class C, No. 1 Shoreham-Wading River (15-1) opens at home against No. 4 Babylon (7-10), and No. 3 Mount Sinai (9-7) visits No. 2 Bayport-Blue Point (12-4). Both games are a week from tomorrow at 4 p.m.

To give some perspective on this class, SWR defeated Rocky Point and its only loss came against Garden City. It would be a tremendous upset if Shoreham, the defending Class C state champion, lost before the L.I. championship.

Because SWR last played on Thursday (giving it almost a two-week layoff between games), the team will scrimmage playoff-bound North Babylon today at the PAL Complex in Holbrook.

Okay, speaking of what's going on today, here's what happening. There are 11 playoff spots in Class A. Spots are based on power points rather than records, so I'll be speaking more in hypothetical terms (as I do not know the mathematical equations used) than real ones, but things are pretty clear nevertheless. I'll explain by working backwards:

Sachem North (5-8 in Division I) is in the 13th spot, and a win against Copiague (0-13) today will almost positively not be enough to get them in.

Commack is in 12th place at 7-6, the same record as Floyd, the 11th place squad. Ward Melville is in 10th with a 6-7 record. However, Ward Melville has 114.050 power points, while Floyd has 108.110 and Commack has 107.340.

All three teams play today on the road — Commack at West Islip (12-1), Floyd at Half Hollow Hills (5-8), and Ward Melville at East Islip (8-5). Ward Melville can most likely lose and still get in, while a Commack win (which is a reach against the top team in the division) and a Floyd loss could put Commack in.

Meanwhile, a West Islip win will seal the top spot for the Lions (12-1).

There are plenty of other scenarios, but I won't bore you with any more hypotheticals. I'll just give you the brackets tomorrow.

Here are the other games with potential playoff (and seeding) implications this afternoon:

Sachem East (8-5) at Bay Shore (11-2), at 4 p.m.
Northport (11-2) at Smithtown East (8-5), 4:30 p.m.
West Babylon (10-3) at Middle Country (4-9), 7 p.m.
Lindenhurst (8-5) at Patchogue-Medford (3-10), 7 p.m.

Well, there's 42 Suffolk girls lacrosse teams, and later tonight only 22 will remain. It's playoff time!

Long Island

1. Ward Melville (16-0)

2. West Islip (14-1)

3. St. Anthony’s (14-3)

4. Chaminade (11-3)

5. Rocky Point (15-1)

6. Manhasset (12-3)

7. South Side (12-3)

8. Lynbrook (13-2)

9. Half Hollow Hills West (13-2)

10. Garden City (11-4)

Nassau Top 10

1. Chaminade (11-3)

2. Manhasset(12-3)

3. South Side (12-3)

4. Lynbrook (13-2)

5. Garden City (11-4)

6. Massapequa (11-3)

7. Long Beach (11-3)

8. Cold Spring Harbor (12-3)

9. Syosset (11-3)

10. Farmingdale (10-3)

Suffolk Top 10

1. Ward Melville (16-0)

2. West Islip (14-1)

3. St. Anthony's (14-3)

4. Rocky Point (15-1)

5. Half Hollow Hills West (13-3)

6. Mount Sinai (13-3)

7. Smithtown West (11-5)

8. Shoreham-Wading River (11-4)

9. Smithtown East (10-6)

10. Lindenhurst (12-4)

BY RODERICK BOONE

NYIT is one win away from a national championship after knocking off Limestone 11-8 in a Division II semifinal on the Bears' Old Westbury campus this afternoon. The win sealed a spot in the title game for Tech, which is gunning for its fourth championship and first in three seasons.

The Bears (12-2) will meet 15-1 Le Moyne, which clobbered Bryant 11-2 in the other semi today, for the title at 4:30 p.m. next Sunday on Tom Brady's territory, aka Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass.

Austin Carino had four goals and Keith Henderson, like the rest of his teammates, battled early emotions and finished with a hat trick to lead NYIT's attack.

"Coming into a game like that, it's a feeling that you love but you hate -- that nervous feeling, butterflies," Henderson said. "But in the middle of the first quarter when you score your first goal, they kind of leave you."

For two particular Long Island natives -- Limestone coach Mike Cerino of Cold Spring Harbor and goalie James Tuohy of Levittown -- the day was sort of a bittersweet one. While they returned to their old stomping grounds, they left without a spot in next week's championship game.

"It's a tough swing," Cerino said, later adding, "The next best thing to winning in this game is being in this game. And certainly Limestone College showed themselves well today."

Said Tuohy, a Hofstra transfer who had 10 saves: "I was thinking about the game ever since I heard we were playing New York Tech. I was excited to be home in front of all my family and friends and everyone else on Long Island. But it doesn't feel great that we lost at all, obviously. It was good to be home, but as far as that goes I'm not happpy about losing."

BY JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

Farmingdale senior Keenan Ochwat will miss the remainder of the season with a broken collar bone, according to coach Bob Hartranft.

The two-time all-county defender suffered the injury five minutes into Farmingdale's, 5-4, loss to Hicksville yesterday. Ochwat caught a clearing pass and as checked hard by a Hicksville player.

"He turned and the kid got him," Hartranft said. "Clean hit. Legal hit."

The injury further crowds the Dalers' medical ward.

Defender Steve Probst bruised his quad and starting goalie T.J. DiCarlo hurst his knee after its win over Long Beach. Travis Lyons hurt his wrist in the third quarter against Oceanside and Danny Blau is playing with a bad back.

While all those players are important, the loss of Ochwat is a major blow.

"He’s a franchise player," Hartranft said. "It’s a big loss. We will have to find out what we are all about. We played good defense after he w