Massapequa Boys Lacrosse Shock Farmingdale in OT

The Massapequa boys lacrosse team felt the bitter taste of falling short in overtime just over a week ago to non-league opponent Connetquot. On Friday afternoon at , Massapequa felt the other side as they took down rival Farmingdale in overtime, 10-9.

The Chiefs (9-2) handed the Dalers (7-4) their first loss in Conference I to move into sole possession of first place as they head into the final part of their schedule.

Massapequa was led by Ian Lukaszewicz with three goals and an assist along with the lone goal from Jamie Shand for the game-winner with 1:17 left in overtime. Farmingdale was led by Sal Tuttle with three goals, one of which tied the game with just over a minute to go in regulation.

Farmingdale got off to the start they wanted in the first quarter,  jumping out to a 4-1 lead behind two goals from Korey Hendrickson. Massapequa cut the lead to 4-3 before the end of the quarter after goals from Steve Romano and Lukaszewicz.

The senior Lukaszewicz added his second goal in the opening minutes of the second quarter, but Farmingdale stretched the lead again to three goals at 7-4 after Tuttle found the net twice and Greg Catalano scored his second goal of the game. Dan Muller scored for Massapequa to go into halftime trailing 7-5.

John Ragro scored a goal for the Dalers  just 21 seconds into the third quarter only to set up a memorable Chiefs comeback. Brent Lawless and Lukaszewicz both added goals in the quarter to trail by a goal for the fourth time.

Lawless scored in the beginning of the fourth to tie the score at 8-8 and Dylan Sheehan put in the go-ahead goal with 3:40 remaining off of an assist from Shand.

Farmingdale, although not scoring since the opening seconds of the half, did not falter under the pressure as Tuttle made a diving goal with 1:14 remaining to force an extra period.

With the score tied at 9-9 and first place on the line, Shand picked the perfect time to score his first goal of the game. He picked up a ground ball after Lukaszewicz saved the ball from rolling out of bound and beat his falling defender to score the game’s final goal with 1:17 remaining to give Massaepequa the monumental win.

Heroes: Jamie Shand has been one of Massapequa’s best players this season and proved that again yesterday with his unassisted overtime goal.

“I just beat my defender after he fell down to get the goal, and it feels great to beat Farmingdale after losing to them the last couple of years,” Shand said. “We are thinking the Long Island championship is a possibility now. It is a great feeling.”

Turning Point: After Lawless scored his second goal in the beginning of the fourth quarter to tie, all momentum was on the Massapequa sideline as Farmingdale struggled to find the back of the net during the entire second half.

Quotable: “We could’ve folded our tents when we were down 4-1, but the kids battled back because it is a 48-minute game. We persevered and it really showed a lot of heart,” Massapequa head coach Tim Radomski said. “It didn’t work out in overtime against Connetquot, but fortunately this time it did for us.”

“We expected this kind of game against them and both teams played really hard and well today,” Farmingdale head coach Bob Hartranfle said. “Their goalie made a big save at the end and their guy made a good play in overtime to win it.”

Bottom Line: Massapequa and Farmingdale could very well see each other again down the line in the playoffs as they did in 2010. Farmingdale defeated Massapequa for the Nassau County title and both teams look to get back to that very same point in 2011.

Key Stat: Farmingdale was held scoreless for 22:25 in the second half as Massapequa made their comeback.

Who’s Next: Massapequa vs. Hicksville, May 4, 7:00 p.m.; Farmingdale vs. Syosset, May 4, 4:30 p.m.

Box Score:

Goals-Assists: F: Tuttle 3-0, Hendrickson 2-0, Catalano 2-0, Brown 1-0, Ragno 1-0, Perettine 0-2, Ward 0-1, Starke 0-1, Prendergast 0-1. Totals: 9-5; M: Lukaszewicz 3-1, Muller 2-0, Lawless 2-0, Shand 1-1, Romano 1-0, Sheehan 1-0, Maisch 0-2, Kirby 0-1. Totals: 10-5. Goalies- F: Palmer- 10 saves; M: Danaher- 14 saves.