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Mamaroneck lax pulls off another upset
Robert Lieber
FREEDOM PLAINS, N.Y. — It wasn’t so much the sudden, dramatic scoring outburst over a seven-minute span that lifted the Mamaroneck High School boys’ lacrosse team into the Section 1, Class A championship.
Even more so, it was the relentless, suffocating defense that set it all up.
The No. 10 Tigers’ shut down third-seeded Arlington, setting up shop in the Admirals’ end for a critical period of time on Thursday, and Mamaroneck waltzed away with a 12-4 semifinal victory to advance to the sectional title game.
The Tigers (9-10) will meet No. 4 and defending champion Mahopac, an 8-6 winner over Lakeland-Panas in the other semifinal, for all the marbles on Wednesday.
Arlington ended the most successful season in program history with an 11-7 mark.
The Tigers raced en masse to one end of the field when the game ended to embrace goalie Thomas Brill but, truth be told, Brill had a fairly easy day. With his defense and midfielders out-hustling Arlington during that seven-minute stretch late in the second quarter until the opening moments of the third quarter, the Tigers practically lived on Arlington’s side of the field. Mamaroneck got to every loose ball and controlled the tempo, giving the Admirals little to no scoring opportunities.
The game, played under a dark gray sky, was tied at 3-3 at the halfway point of the second quarter when Scott Greenberg scored the second of his four goals from 10 yards out – and that was the longest goal of the game for the Tigers, who consistently were able to free players right in front of the goal on set plays or Arlington defensive lapses.
If it wasn’t for Admirals goalie J.D. Colarusso, who was magnificent, Mamaroneck could have easily had 18 goals.
Greenberg’s goal with 6:12 remaining before the half ignited the scoring spree. The Tigers added three more in the second quarter and one more just 37 seconds into the third quarter to make it 8-3 and break it open.
Mamaroneck’s Peter Conley, who just returned for the start of the sectionals last week after missing the final six regular-season games with a torn quadriceps and groin injury, showed he’s back in full force. Conley opened the game with two goals and ended it with two goals, scoring five altogether including a beautiful pivot and spin move in the opening moments.
Arlington’s Brendan Caoli and Brendan Sunday both had two goals for the Admirals.
Mamaroneck has now knocked off the No. 7, No. 2 and No. 3 seeds en route to the title game.
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