Kennedy Boys Lacrosse Blown Out on Road by Hewlett

The Hewlett Bulldogs boys lacrosse team led from start to finish against the visiting Kennedy Cougars to come out on top, 15-5, on Tuesday afternoon.

The Bulldogs (2-2) rebounded from a double overtime loss to South Side last Friday to take down the Cougars (3-4).

Jake Geiger led Hewlett with six goals and two assists. Defenseman Mark Rizzo contributed with a goal and three assists as well.

Kennedy was led by Zac Shuldiner with two goals in the loss.

Hewlett came out strong in the first quarter, leading 4-0 after just a few minutes behind goals from Geiger, Zach Richman, Alex Kahn and Kevin Fuchs. Shuldiner brought his team right back with his only two goals of the game in just a 30-second span. Another goal by Geiger and one by Chris Loria put the Bulldogs up 6-2 over the Cougars after the first quarter.

After Kennedy scored just 17 seconds into the second quarter, Hewlett would hold them scoreless for more than 17 minutes. Before halftime, Hewlett added six more goals, including three more from Geiger, to lead after 24 minutes, 12-3.

Kennedy finally broke their scoring drought after Chris Racalbuto had a tipped shot roll across the goal line past Michael Fine. Hewlett added three goals in the third quarter but was held scoreless in the fourth with their sizable lead in check.

"Their defense limited our scoring opportunities and they beat us in transition coming the other way," Kennedy head coach Craig Papach said.

The win for Hewlett broke an early season two-game losing streak and the loss for Kennedy followed a close one-goal win over Copiague last weekend.

Heroes: Jake Geiger set a new season-high with his six goals and eight total points to lead Hewlett in the win. The senior now has a team leading 15 goals on the season.

"We wanted to come out strong and get our players some good opportunities and work the ball around well," Geiger said. "I had a couple of good looks in the first half and just finished them off. Overall, the team played great and the offense came together today."

Turning Point: After Kennedy scored a quick goal to open up the second quarter, Josh Rivlin and Geiger put in two goals in 30 seconds for the Bulldogs to extend their lead to 9-3 and shift momentum right back to their side.

Quotable: "They were well-coached, very disciplined and the kids play hard, and I am disappointed in the outcome and how we played in the first quarter but that team we played was very good," Papach said.

"We did a good job in transition and pushing the ball downfield. We have an experienced attack and they moved it well today," Hewlett head coach Chris Passuello said. "When we played defense with our body like we teach, then we can play better, settle in and we just took over from there."

Bottom Line: Both Hewlett and Kennedy have had their struggles early on in the season, but with a few solid wins under their belts, both teams are looking to compete for playoff spots in the middle and later parts of the schedule.

Key Stat: The 15 goals for Hewlett was the largest offensive output thus far this season and the five goals for Kennedy was the second least goal tally (four in a loss to MacArthur) so far this season.

Who’s Next: Great Neck South vs. Kennedy, April 8, 4:30 p.m.; Wheatley vs. Hewlett, April 8, 4:15 p.m.

Box Score:

Goals-Assists: K- Shuldiner 2-0, Racalbuto 1-0, Gavigan 1-0, Brancato 1-0. Totals: 5-0. H- Geiger 6-2, Fuchs 2-0, Rizzo 1-3, Rivlin 1-2, Richman 1-1, Gray 1-2, Loria 1-1, Kahn 1-0, Terica 1-0. Totals: 15-11. Goalies: K- Grillo- 9 saves; H- Fine- 11 saves, Versheiser- 3 saves.