Brady Nardone scores four goals, adds two assists to lead Oceanside boys lacrosse over Hicksville
Brady Nardone of Oceanside readies his shot during a boys lacrosse game against Hicksville on Tuesday, April 2, 2024 in Oceanside. Credit: Dawn McCormick
Pouring rain and gusty winds won’t stop Oceanside sophomore Brady Nardone from putting on a show.
In the Sailors' boys lacrosse team's 11-4 victory over Hicksville in Nassau Conference A on Tuesday at home, the attackman finished with four goals and two assists.
The Sailors weren’t off to a hot start. After the first quarter, they trailed 2-1, and Nardone knew something had to be done.
“We weren’t showing up that first quarter,” he said. “It was brutal playing in this weather, but we weren’t playing like us.”
The second quarter was kicked off by a goal from senior midfielder Danny Gilmore, tying it up at 2. Nardone then went and scored three goals in a row to extend their lead to 5-2 going into the half.
“Coach gave us a pep talk at halftime that really helped get our energy up,” Nardone said.
The Sailors shut out Hicksville in the third quarter while they managed to score five. One more goal scored in the fourth solidified the 11-4 win. James Kelly scored two goals for Hicksville (2-2) and Frederick Giovanelli made 11 saves.
Senior attack Michael Madden finished with two goals and three assists and Gilmore, Jake Dimuzio, Ethan Famularo and Brian Kraemer each had a goal and an assist. Nardone says that the offense is able to work well together on the field because of the bond they’ve formed.
“We’ve been able to build our chemistry with team bonding and just lots of communication on and off the field,” he said.
Coach Mike Santisteban says it’s their defense that has been so crucial to their success.
“Our defense is very good, it’s the biggest strength of our team,” he said. “They’re a sound unit and they’re able to play one-on-one defense phenomenally.”
The Sailors were handed their first loss of the season last week after falling 6-3 to Plainedge. Nardone says that they used that loss as motivation for this game.
“It definitely fueled us to win today,” Nardone said. “We put in extra work at practice and focused on how we need to get better.”
“We wanted to come out here today and make a statement,” Santisteban said. “We’re a young team, and we have to learn that when you lose, you need to come out stronger.”
Four games down and Nardone is just getting started.
He leads the Sailors (3-1) in scoring this season with nine goals.
“He’s only a sophomore, and he’s newer to having a full-time role on this team,” Santisteban said. “He’s starting to find his rhythm and he’s going to be huge for us.”
