Whelan helps Bethpage shut down GNS

Bethpage girls lacrosse was juggling a few loose ends before Saturday's matchup against Great Neck South. The team was dealing with the fresh sting of Thursday's one-goal loss to Mepham, a new offense featuring junior attack Courtney Castellano, and backup goalie Nicolette DeAngelis making the switch to defense.

Thankfully for the Golden Eagles, goalie Brianna Whelan is somewhat adept at corralling these sorts of situations -- both figuratively and literally.

"I like to juggle," she said after visiting Bethpage's 13-4 win in Conference B-II. "It's good for hand-eye coordination. It helps you move faster, and the closer the balls are to each other, the faster your hands have to move."

And the easier it is, it seems, to shut down a frustrated Rebels attack. Whelan had 15 saves, several on free-position attempts, while the DeAngelis-bolstered defense kept Great Neck South (0-2) scoreless for a 22 minute, 55 second stretch that dipped deep into the second half.

Oh, and Castellano got in on it, too. She scored three times in her first start, while senior midfielder Erin Reilly scored four.

"Everyone was able to get involved and that was really important for team morale," coach Kate Danowski said. "We had people play positions they're not used to and do whatever it took."

Bethpage (2-1) got the ball rolling with four straight scores to open the game, capped by Castellano's free-position tally with 17:33 left. Stephanie Ross's goal on a Jillian Weihs feed put the Rebels on the board with 14:57 to go, but Great Neck South stayed silent until Jessica Kwong's breakaway goal made it 9-2 with 8:04 left in the first.

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"It was mainly communication," said DeAngelis, a senior who played defense on JV and made the switch from goal for more playing time. "I was calling my number and making sure the girls . . . knew where to go and to pressure where we needed it."

With that side of the ball well under control, Reilly took over on offense, scoring all four of her goals in the final 12:04 of the first, including a sidearm flick in front of the net for the 10-2 halftime lead. "You had to fake it a lot," Reilly said. "Fake high and shoot low."

It's the type of shot Whelan is preparing for when she "walks the line" in practice (identifies the weak spots in the net and hits them all) and, yes, juggles.

Assistant coach Nicole Agovino, who works extensively with Whelan in practice, said that a few of her goalie's methods may be unconventional, "but I'll tell you what, she's a very good juggler."

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You can tell.