Farmingdale falls in state Class A boys lacrosse final
Farmingdale's Mike Ippoliti makes a save in the third quarter of the New York State Class A boys lacrosse state championship game against Baldwinsville on Sunday at Hofstra. Credit: Bob Sorensen
The Farmingdale boys lacrosse team won’t forget the bond that brought them to the final game of the season.
The Dalers lost, 9-5, to defending state champion Baldwinsville in the state Class A boys lacrosse championship game at Hofstra on Sunday.
Sal Posillico scored twice for Farmingdale (18-4) and Michael Ippoliti made 10 saves in the Dalers’ first trip to the state final since 2011.
“We played hard defense and we really gave it our all. We really buckled down, but we just didn’t come out on top,” Posillico said. “Things like that happen.”
Baldwinsville (19-2) found open players around Ippoliti in net when the Dalers’ defenders slid.
Keegan Lynch had four goals and two assists for Baldwinsville and Bees goalie Michael Cary made 12 saves.
“[Baldwinsville is] an excellent team. We hit a few pipes, maybe made a few uncharacteristic errors, but they were certainly part of that,” Farmingdale coach Mike Hungerford said. “Their goalie played great. The ball didn’t bounce our way a little bit today. It’s just one of those days.”
One of those days that Hungerford said doesn’t take away from what the Dalers accomplished this season.
Farmingdale won its first Long Island championship since 2011 this spring, then beat Scarsdale in the state semifinals Friday. Farmingdale won 15 straight games before Sunday’s loss.
“The process of getting here is almost more important than the game itself,” Hungerford said. “All the time we spent together, the things we did and the work we put in on a day-to-day basis.”
“We’re like brothers,” Posillico added. “At practice, we all get on each other, we make sure we work hard, and that’s what got us here today. Obviously, we didn’t come out on top, but we grew that strong bond with each other.”
Chris Bergersen, Caden Lennon and Dillon Mehta each had a goal against Baldwinsville.
Farmingdale scored the first two goals of the second half to tie it at 5-5.
But Baldwinsville’s Ryan Quinn scored with 58 seconds left in the third quarter and gave the Section III champions a 6-5 lead after three quarters.
Baldwinsville scored the last four goals of the game and shut out Farmingdale in the fourth quarter.
“They got one at the very end of the quarter to get back ahead, and I thought that was a huge momentum play for them,” Hungerford said.
“We really couldn’t answer. Then they got it to [a two-goal lead], and that was the difference there.”
