West Boy's Lacrosse Grinds Out Road Win Over Connetquot

The West boy’s lacrosse road matchup against Connetquot Thursday was a defensive struggle, but the Bulls used four unanswered goals over the game’s final 12 minutes to defeat the Thunderbirds 6-5.

Connetquot opened the third quarter with a pair of man-up goals that put them ahead 5-2, but West’s Craig Kiernan’s second goal of the game with just 1:09 in the second half was the last goal the Thunderbirds would score.

“We were down 5-2 and then we shut the door and came back with four big goals,” said West coach Sean Keenan.

It was Ryan Keenan who scored the first goal in the comeback with just seven seconds left in the third. When Connetquot’s Mike Gray was sent off for slashing just over two minutes into the fourth the Bulls took advantage. Keenan made a quick pass out in front to an open James Pannell who ripped a high, hard shot past Connetquot’s Zach Oliveri to bring his team within one.

Frank Reda, who scored the first Smithtown goal, tied the game at five with a snipe of his own with just 7:23 remaining in the game. Off the ensuing faceoff Ryan Joseph also found the back of the net and just like that Smithtown was out in front.

From there the Bulls tried to keep possession and milk the clock, but Connetquot still had its chances. Smithtown’s Ryan Adler was forced to make three big saves over the game’s final minutes, including two crucial stops in the final minute to preserve the win.

“Today we played with a lot of heart and desire on defense,” Keenan said. “The defense won the game for us.”

While the Bulls were able to recover from a lackluster first half, the Thunderbirds lost all the momentum they gained early and eventually lost the game.

“I was just hoping that we could execute down here on offense and get another goal, that’s pretty much it,” said Connetquot coach Bob Moltisanti. “It didn’t work out, they were the better team today. We didn’t score in the fourth quarter, simple as that.”

Smithtown was playing without its star attack Kyle Keenan, who is recovering from a concussion. He is questionable for Saturday’s West-East rivalry game.

West moved to 10-2 in league play while Connetquot fell to 8-4. It was a win that Coach Keenan was especially happy to get after his team’s slow start.

“The kids played well in the second half, well enough to win,” he said. “And we’re lucky to get out of here [with the victory].”