Sleepy Hollow LAX Clinches Playoff Spot

According to the Section 1 rules, Sleepy Hollow didn't have to win its regular-season finale against visiting Edgemont to clinch a playoff spot in the Section 1 Tournament.   

However, Sleepy Hollow coach Gary DiVico felt that in order to make the playoffs that his squad needed to beat Edgemont as it entered the game with a 7-8 mark.    

"My belief is that if we are .500 then we have earned it," DiVico said.   

Sleepy Hollow got to .500 and earned a playoff berth under DiVico's guidelines convincingly, with a 13-2 triumph against the visitors Friday afternoon.   

"Our coach doesn't let us go to sections unless we are .500," Sleepy Hollow senior attackman John Bucci said. "We were one game under .500 yesterday and we needed this one."   

The game Sleepy Hollow needed was never in doubt as it jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the opening quarter. Dennis Maloy was red hot at the beginning of the game for the Headless Horsemen, as he scored three of those goals unassisted.   In total, Maloy recorded a game-high six goals.  

"Now we have the playoffs ahead of us and it feels really good," Maloy said. "We had a goal and we wanted to achieve it."   

The third goal in that stretch was scored by Bucci, with the assist coming from Jorge Berenguer. Bucci tallied a game-high eight points on four goals and four assists.   Both Maloy and Bucci agreed that the team was motivated heavily by a less than stellar performance in a 9-6 loss against Irvington the previous day.   

"We were just moving the ball around on offense, making the open pass and finishing when we had the chance," Bucci said. "Coming off a tough loss yesterday, we just decided that we weren't going to let that happen again today. We came out with more intensity."  

That intensity carried into the second quarter as Berenguer scored an unassisted goal 31 seconds into it for a 5-0 lead. That lead was more than enough for Sleepy Hollow goalie Jay Ramirez. Ramirez made nine saves, including one on Brendan Connolly who came right down the field, to preserve the hosts' five-goal advantage.   

"Yesterday, we played very poorly," DiVico said. "We didn't get to ground balls, we didn't control the ball. Today, we had all our things working as our defense and goalie, middies and attack, all played well."   

Also making it in the box score for Sleepy Hollow were Frank Curanj (one goal), Kyle McGovern (one goal), Tim Rachlin (two assists) and Justin Rosero (one assist).   

Besides needing the game to make the playoffs, the game also had special meaning since it was the last regular-season home game for the seniors. Those seniors honored in a halftime ceremony were Bucci, Rosero, Peter DelMonaco and Joseph Scarpati.    

"It's our last game on this field," Bucci said. "A lot of us have played four years of football and lacrosse on this field. It's good to go out in a big way."    

The players were accompanied by their parents, something Sleepy Hollow athletic director Chuck Scarpulla acknowledged over the public address system during the ceremony.   

"They are there to help us out," Scarpulla said. "We'd like to thank the parents, we can always count on you."