There was determination in the faces and swagger in the collective step of the boys lacrosse team. Clearly the Chiefs had something to prove Thursday on the road against preseason top seed .
The Chiefs showcased relentlessness around the ball and skill finishing off possessions. The end result wasn’t even close.
Massapequa ran past the Braves, 14-8, Thursday in a Nassau Conference I showdown for first place. Senior midfield Dan Muller and sophomore attack Ian Kirby each poured in four goals for the Chiefs (7-1 overall, 4-0).
“Everyone was putting us down, saying we were young,” Muller said. “We lost 17 seniors; we lost our whole attack. We just have something to prove. We’re here to win a Nassau County championship.”
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You might have thought the Chiefs would have taken a step back this season. After all, they graduated 17 seniors and eight starters from a team that fell in the Nassau Class A title game to eventual . The Chiefs came oh-so-close only to see their rivals bask in the glory of a championship.
And yet Massapequa was still tabbed the No. 2 seed heading into the new season. Syosset (4-4, 2-1) features Ryan Feit, a Johns Hopkins commitment and one of the best goalies in the nation. That was the challenge facing the Chiefs – along with everyone else in Nassau.
“We came in all week knowing he was the goalie,” said Muller, who signed with UMass. “We had to pick our spots. If we took a bad shot he was going to save it.”
Muller sniped at Feit from the wing, shooting around the defender to screen his movement from the gifted goalie. He put Massapequa on the board 1-0 and kicked off a five-goal run to open the third with two more shots into the back of the net.
“It all starts with the midfield,” Massapequa Coach Tim Radomski said. “Danny Muller went down the field twice. No one picked him up. He stuck the first two to start the third quarter off on a good note for us. After that our attack took over, made some great plays and capitalized.”
By the time Jack Korber scored with 5:19 left in the third, Massapequa held a commanding 9-3 edge.
Syosset made a few runs at the Chiefs, first forging a tie at 2 and then closing the gap to 10-7 early in the fourth. But Massapequa would not let this one slip away. The Chiefs won 15 of 25 faceoffs.
The Braves got two goals apiece from Jon Camposa, Andrew Keith and John Diaz.
“The anticipation was great; our kids were excited to play,” Syosset Coach John Calabria said. “Obviously the way Massapequa showed up they were excited to play. In the A Class, No. 1 versus 2 every year is always a big-time, hard-fought game. Massapequa brought it today.”
Note: Game photos coming Friday.
