8 Photos
Geoff Arrasate of Westhampton Beach holds a Bayport-Blue Point player at bay.
Westhampton Beach's Liam McMunn and a Bayport-Blue Point player try to get a loose ball off a faceoff. DREW BUDD
Westhampton Beach senior Rob Moore moves the ball behind Bayport's goal. DREW BUDD
Westhampton Beach senior Aidan Cassara makes a move on a Bayport-Blue Point player. DREW BUDD
Hurricane Dan Naglieri fends off pressure from a Bayport-Blue Point player. DREW BUDD
Gavin Arcuri of Westhampton Beach tries to break through the Bayport defense while getting a quick shot off. DREW BUDD
Gavin Arcuri, left, Dan Naglieri and Peter Traina celebrate Traina's goal that tied the game, 6-6, in the third quarter. DREW BUDD
Hurricane Liam McMunn keeps an eye on a Bayport-Blue Point player. DREW BUDD
There was a play in last Thursday’s Westhampton Beach boys lacrosse team’s home game against Bayport-Blue Point where Hurricane Rob Moore took a shot, it hit the post and bounced back toward midfield where a Bayport player picked up the ball, started a fast break and wound up scoring.
What would have been a 5-4 game with just minutes remaining in the first half was now a 6-3 game in favor for the Phantoms, and it was a microcosm of how the season has been going for the Hurricanes, who wound up taking an 11-8 loss to Bayport that day before taking another hard-fought 8-6 loss at Mount Sinai two days later on Saturday.
They were somewhat excruciating and frustrating losses for Westhampton Beach, which is fighting for a Class B playoff spot, but because those losses came against a pair of the top two teams in the division, the ’Canes (5-4 in Division II, 116.68 power points) are still alive for a postseason berth, with five games remaining as of Tuesday morning.
An 8-7 victory at East Islip on Monday helped the cause.
“And that’s lacrosse,” Westhampton Beach head coach Drew Peters said, following last week’s loss to Bayport. “I kept saying to the guys, if we can keep it to that two- or three-goal cushion for them, the later we went into the game we’d be able to get into it. We got it to two a couple times, but we’re just having a hard time getting that late in the game goal to get it back down to one.”
That frustrating goal that extended the Phantom’s lead to 6-3 seemed to light a fire under the ’Canes, because they went ahead and scored the game’s next three goals. Moore, who had the shot that went off the post, came right back and found the back of the net, then Jack Moloney scored with 3.5 seconds remaining, with Bayport clinging to a 6-5 halftime lead.
Just over four minutes into the second half, Moore came from behind the net and seemed to catch everyone off guard, including Bayport’s defense and goalie, with a shot and goal that tied the game at 6-6. But Westhampton Beach couldn’t break that tie, instead the Phantoms did with three consecutive goals en route to the victory.
Westhampton Beach senior Peter Traina led with three goals, while Moore and Moloney each scored two apiece.
Peters said that his team continues to play hard, and with a number of solid teams still on their schedule, they’re going to have to continue to do so going forward.
“We said to the kids from the beginning of the year, our goal is to make the playoffs and to continue to progress and improve every game, and so far we’ve been doing that,” he said. “We’ve been playing well at home. This would have been a nice one to have, unfortunately a couple bounces didn’t go our way. Like we said, three pipes in a two-goal game, that makes a big difference.”
Westhampton Beach played at cross-town rival Eastport-South Manor on Wednesday night and will host Comsewogue this Friday at 4 p.m. before playing at Sayville on June 1 at 4 p.m.
