Port Washington Ends Season for Calhoun Boys Lacrosse

The boys lacrosse team lost a stunning overtime game in the first round of the Class A playoffs to Port Washington at home on Friday afternoon.

In April, Calhoun Port Washington in overtime to notch a league victory.  

The tenth-seeded Vikings (9-7) put together the comeback to advance past the seventh-seeded Colts (8-8) behind the game-winning goal from John Crawley with 1:32 remaining in overtime.  

John Keren led Port Washington with four goals and Crawley added three goals and two assists. Kurt Abitz led for Calhoun with three goals in the season-ending loss.  

Calhoun held onto an early first quarter lead behind two goals from Abitz. Keren and Jake Froccaro added goals for Port Washington as the first quarter ended with the home team ahead 3-2.  

Calhoun found breathing room in the second quarter after Abitz added his third goal and Kyle Foy scored as well. The Colts led the Vikings at halftime 6-4.  Both teams added a goal each in the third quarter to set up a thrilling final period.

Port Washington tied the gave at 7-7 after Keren put in a goal and later scored another to take the lead with just over two minutes left. Charlie Isham found the back of the net for Calhoun to tied the score again with 1:37 left in the fourth. He had a last-second chance to win the game but sent the shot wide.  

In overtime, both sides had their chances, but Port Washington showed the patience to set up the game-winner by Crawley, giving his team a spot in the quarterfinals.  

Heroes: John Crawley came through at the right time for Port Washington to help his team move on. Goalie Marco Rystic stopped 17 shots in the win as well. 

“They gave the ball to me in the end and I took advantage of it,” Crawley said. “It’s the first time in a while that Port has made it to Hofstra after this rollercoaster-like year.”  

Turning Point: Although Calhoun tied the score again at 8-8, the late fourth quarter surge by Port Washington gave them strong momentum.  

Quotable: “They had a little momentum in transition and had a couple of man-up opportunities which hurt us. If we could’ve settled the ball more in the end, we would’ve been good,” Jim Femminella, Calhoun head coach, said. “Our seniors did a great job this year and our underclassmen coming back are very good.”  

“It was the same type of game as last time with just two tough teams going at it,” Mike Candella, Port Washington head coach, said. “Our guys are always in the game. They are going to be ready to go in against Massapequa and compete next week.”  

Bottom Line: Port Washington found their redemption against Calhoun with the overtime win, less than a month after falling in overtime to the same team. The Vikings recently lost to their quarterfinal opponent, Massapequa, 12-6 in the regular season.  

Key Stat: Port Washington scored four to the game’s final five goals to win.  

Who’s Next: Port Washington vs. Massapequa, May 24, 4:00 p.m. (Hofstra University)  

Box Score: 

Goals-Assists: PW: Keren 4-0, Crawley 3-2, Froccaro 1-3, Greenberg 1-0. Totals: 9-5. C: Abitz 3-0, McGinley 1-0, Isham 1-0, Foy 1-0, Roth 1-0, Kalibat 1-0. Totals: 8-0. Goalies: PW: Rystic- 17 saves; C: Lemonis- 14 saves.