This week in girls lacrosse: Manhasset stymies Garden City

Newsday’s Kenny DeJohn recaps the week of Long Island girls lacrosse, starting with a dominant win over a perennial powerhouse and finishing with a few other notables from the first week of May.

Manhasset dominates Garden City

In girls lacrosse, it’s impressive when a defense can hold the opposition to three goals . . . let alone if that opponent is the two-time defending state Class B champion.

That’s just what Manhasset did last Saturday, rolling through Garden City, 10-3. Kelly Trotta and Emma LoPinto scored three apiece, and Krissy Kowalski made nine saves. The defense limited standout attack Jenn Medjid to just two goals.

“Krissy had a great game,” coach Danielle Gallagher said. “That and the defense. Their slides were on. Their first slides were on, their second slides were on . . . I can’t even say one person stood out. They just functioned really well as a team.”

Manhasset, alone at the top of the rigorous Nassau I, was mired in uncertainty after the first week of the season. Madison Rielly, a Maryland-bound senior, was lost to a season-ending injury against Long Beach on March 23, leaving the offense in question.

But Trotta, LoPinto, Shea Garcia, Grace Gately and others have contributed since, and the Indians haven’t skipped a beat.

“We can’t beat ourselves,” Gallagher said. “That’s the biggest thing for any team out there. No matter how good you are, you can’t not function as a unit. You can’t step on the field and have individuals trying to prove things.”

Manhasset appears to be the Nassau B favorite at this point, but Garden City certainly still has the firepower to reclaim that distinction. The Nassau Class B playoffs begin May 12.

Notable wins

• After consecutive losses to Huntington and Northport, Sachem North responded in a big way with an 11-10 win over Ward Melville on Monday. Ashley Perrini (12 saves) made a stop with four seconds remaining that sealed the win. Hailey Rhatigan had three goals and four assists.

• In Wednesday’s rematch of last season’s Nassau Class D championship game, Carle Place defeated Oyster Bay, 12-11, behind Giana McKeough’s seven goals. She made the score 12-9 with about two minutes remaining before Oyster Bay cut it close.

• Division earned its first Nassau II win of the season with an 11-10 victory over Lynbrook on Wednesday. Juliana Stanley’s sixth goal of the game with 44 seconds left broke the tie at 10. Division trailed 9-6 with 10 minutes remaining before Amy Rzemieniewski eventually tied the score.

• Smithtown West needed overtime to defeat crosstown rival Smithtown West, 9-8, on Wednesday. Janine Suris (four goals, one assist) scored on the opening possession of overtime for the win. Taylor Mennella also had four goals and one assist, including the tying goal with 40 seconds left in regulation.

• New Hyde Park went undefeated in the regular season and earned a Nassau V title last spring, and after moving up to Nassau IV, finished undefeated in conference play yet again with a 15-3 win over Herricks on Friday. Joanna Mauceri had five goals. Michelle Agrenza made 11 saves.

Standout performers

• Mount Sinai’s Meaghan Tyrrell joined the 300-point club in a 17-3 win over Shoreham-Wading River on Friday. The Syracuse-bound attack had six goals and two assists and is a catalyst for a Mustangs offense that relies on her raw talent and composure.

• Mikayla Dwyer has been equal parts scorer and distributor, notching 32 goals and 32 assists this spring for Shoreham-Wading River. The Bryant-bound senior had 29 goals and 18 assists last year and has clearly improved.

• Manhasset has allowed only five of 13 opponents to eclipse five goals, and while that’s a testament to the overall defense, much of the credit belongs to Kowalski in the cage. She’s averaging nearly six saves per game, including standout efforts in wins over North Shore (12 saves) and West Islip (10).

• Northport’s Olivia Carner is one of the best pure dodgers on Long Island, and as a result, she’s been pouring in goals. She has 55 goals after scoring six on Friday against Half Hollow Hills. She also has 19 assists.

• Lindsey Dean dished out nine assists in Our Lady of Mercy’s dominant 19-6 win over St. Dominic Friday night. She added three goals and has scored at least three goals in each of her six games this season.

Newsday’s Top 10

1. Mount Sinai (Last week: 1)

2. Bayport-Blue Point (5)

3. West Babylon (3)

4. Manhasset (9)

5. Garden City (2)

6. Eastport-South Manor (5)

7. Cold Spring Harbor (7)

8. Northport (8)

9. St. Anthony’s (6)

10. Ward Melville (10)

On the cusp (alphabetical order): Massapequa, Mattituck / Southold, Sachem North, Sacred Heart, Smithtown West, Syosset

Next week’s games to watch

Monday, May 7 — Sacred Heart at St. Anthony’s, 4:45 p.m.

Wednesday, May 9 — West Islip at Middle Country (at Newfield), 4 p.m.

Wednesday, May 9 — Manhasset at St. Anthony’s, 7 p.m.

Thursday, May 10 — Bayport-Blue Point at Mattituck / Southold, 4:30 p.m.

Friday, May 11 — Smithtown West at Sachem North, 4 p.m.

Saturday, May 12 — First round of Nassau Class B playoffs begin. All games at higher seeds. Times are TBA.