Manhasset boys lacrosse picks up emotional win over Carey
Daniel O’Connor surprised Manhasset teammates by playing Thursday, then was playmaker on game’s first goal on April 4, 2024. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
There was virtually no chance that this was going to be a regular game for the Manhasset boys lacrosse team on Thursday. And it wasn’t.
On Wednesday all the players showed their support for teammate Daniel O’Connor at his mother’s funeral. The junior attack/midfielder lost his mother, Michelle, suddenly and unexpectedly on Saturday morning at the age of 57. And many of them were surprised in locker room before the game against Carey when O’Connor appeared and dressed after deciding to play.
“When he showed up it was emotional for all of us,” senior Patrick Arnold said. “He’s a great guy and he’s been through so much. It was so great to have him back with us.”
O’Connor’s presence was felt almost immediately. Less than four minutes into the game, he made a pass across the goalmouth to Daniel Kolin for the first goal of what would become a 13-5 Manhasset victory at Walsh Stadium.
“Just amazing,” senior Luca Petruccelli said. “First rep. First assist. And the huddle after that goal was a special moment.”
“It’s another great thing about sports: he took the initiative and wanted to come back even though none of us knew if he’d do one run or play a full game or maybe just make it through warm-ups,” Manhasset coach Keith Cromwell said. “I put him on the spot a little bit — I don’t know if it was the right or wrong thing to do — but I told him he was going to start and . . . the first phase of the offense was going to go through him. That was a blessed beginning for us with him having the first assist of the game.”
“Sports heals a lot and mentally I think it was probably great for him to get out and be with his boys after a devastating few days,” added Cromwell about O'Connor, who preferred not to be interviewed.
Arnold celebrated his own birthday with a six-goal performance, Petruccelli had two goals and two assists and senior Matthew Im made a half dozen saves in goal for Manhasset (5-1), which was bouncing back from a Tuesday defeat against Ridgefield (Conn.) where O’Connor was missed and the team played unmistakably affected.
The win against the Seahawks (3-1) was not as easy as the final score might suggest. Carey opened the second half with three unanswered goals — by Chris Obertis, Billy Koutsoumbaris and James McGrath — to pare the lead to 6-4.
“Sure, you’re nervous at the point, but I trust in this group,” Arnold said.
Petruccelli came out of a scrum after the ensuing faceoff, raced at the goal and scored. It was the first of seven unanswered goals by Manhasset. The backbreaker might have come when Arnold picked off a Carey pass behind the net, raced up the right side and slipped a goal past quick-handed Seahawks goalie Rich Metzger (13 saves) for an 11-4 lead with 4:54 to play.
“All you have to do is find him,” Petruccelli said of Arnold. “He such a good shooter it makes it easy.”
“We had (O’Connor) back with us today and it recharged us,” Cromwell said. “I hope it catapults us forward.”
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
