Sleepy Hollow Crushes Yonkers in Girls Lacrosse, 15-4

One of the best things that can happen to a team is when everything is working right from the start of the game. Those games don't happen too often for any team in any sport but when it does happen, it can be a thing of beauty to watch.

Sleepy Hollow's girls lacrosse game against Yonkers was a thing of beauty, at least if you were rooting for the host Lady Horsemen.

Led by five goals and two assists from junior Jennifer Angevine, who plays attack, Sleepy Hollow (2-2) rolled to a 15-4 triumph against Yonkers.

Angevine got the Lady Horsemen off to a quick start with a goal early in the game, with the assist coming from Marisa Weissman. Weissman then assisted on the Horsemen's second goal, with the score coming from Rachel Swenson, who tallied four goals, to put Sleepy Hollow up 2-0.

"I really have to owe it to my teammates," Angevine said. "They are always there supporting me and giving me great passes. They improve my game as well as our team's game. Rachel is a great help. She dominates on offense. Annelise Birrittella really does a lot work too."

Yonkers did cut Sleepy Hollow's lead in half but a goal by Emily Mottola, with the assist coming from Angevine, started a stretch that saw Sleepy Hollow take a stranglehold on the contest by scoring the game's next 11 goals.

Angevine feels that her team is able to display such dominance on the field because of what they do off it. She stresses that chemistry is a big part of the Lady Horsemen's game.

"We do a lot of team bonding, we connect really well as a team," Angevine said. "There are no cliques. We really do get along and it shows on the field. We go out to dinner a lot together. We always are there for each other, in school, out of school, on the field or off the field."

Angevine said that her team's goal this year is to go far in the sectionals.

"Last year we only made it to the first game or second game in the sectionals so we want to go farther this year," Angevine said.

If Sleepy Hollow can play the way it did against Yonkers, it will have an excellent shot of doing well come the postseason.

"Our offense is really on this year," Sleepy Hollow coach Blair Moynahan said. "They are better prepared to come out stronger. We just had a great effort as a team today."

That was shown in the box score. Besides the exploits of Angevine and Swenson, also producing for Sleepy Hollow were Weissman (three assists), Emily Mottola (two goals, two assists), Erin Newland (one assist), Birrettella (one goal, one assist), Gabrielle Cellante (one goal, one assist), Roberta Shortell (one goal, one assist), Gianna Volpe (one goal) and Maddy McGovern (one assist).

"I prefer to spread the scoring out as much as possible," Moynahan said. "Those two girls (Angevine and Swenson) are dominant scorers but they also involve their teammates as well. Their ability to get their teammates involved is just as important as their scoring."

Moynahan said he was also pleased with the efforts of new goalie Sara Rennert, who made six saves.

"She saw enough shots against her to allow us to see what she is made of," Moynahan said. "We have been practicing with her Saturday and yesterday. She's going to be great. She's a younger player, a sophomore, we are pleased so far."