Bayport-Blue Point girls lacrosse stays focused vs. West Islip, pulls away in second half behind Ava Meyn, Aubrie Eisfeld

When things get challenging for the Bayport-Blue Point girls lacrosse team, they always manage to keep a positive mentality. That mindset is exactly what kept them going in its 7-3 comeback victory over West Islip on Tuesday.

The Lions' defense came out hot, shutting out the Phantoms for the first half while sophomore Francesca Tofano scored two goals.

“We were rushing a little bit,” attack Ava Meyn said. “Their defense played really well on us and pressured out, and that was something we had to get used to."

“We needed to take a deep breath and settle our offense and play the way we usually play,” midfielder Aubrie Eisfeld added.

At halftime, coach Ryan Gick brought his team back to that positive mindset, reminding them that there was still a significant amount of time on the clock.

“I told them at the half, it’s only 2-0,” Gick said. “You score one goal, and you’re already halfway there. We just had to keep them positive and remind them of how good they really are.”

In the third quarter, the Phantoms offense was kickstarted by Meyn, who scored on a penalty.

“It almost felt like a relief that we got one in,” Eisfeld said. “It got us ready to go both offensively and defensively.”

Another goal from Meyn and one from Eisfeld tied the game at three going into the final quarter. The Phantoms' momentum didn’t let up. They shut out West Islip in the fourth and scored four goals themselves.

“The second half was a different team in terms of mindset,” Gick said.

Meyn and Eisfeld each finished with three goals and Sara Richardt added one goal and one assist.

“Ava’s critical for us in the draw circle,” Gick said. “In terms of our offense, it runs through her. She has great talent and great vision and it’s huge for us. And Aubrie, she’s continually done everything for us. She’s great on offense and defense, you’ll never find a more active player on the field.”

The only conference loss by the Phantoms (5-2,  4-1 in Suffolk II) . came against Sayville last week, but Gick said they didn’t let the defeat bring them down.

“We walked into practice the next day with a positive attitude knowing it was another day to get better,” he said. “It’s a long season and one loss isn’t going to make or break us.”

The reigning state champions are hoping to secure the Class C crown once again, but recognize it won’t be easy.

“We definitely have a target on our backs,” Eisfeld said. “But that just motivates us to do the same thing we did last year.”