Floyd girls lacrosse has taken giant leap forward this season

This is a whole different Floyd program.

Floyd, not traditionally known as a girls lacrosse powerhouse, is a few days from its first playoff appearance in 10 years, according to fourth-year coach Paul Vassallo.

Vassallo said he took over the program when Floyd was ranked second-to-last in Division I. The Colonials moderately improved for back-to-back six-win seasons, but have taken a leap this year, winning 10 of their first 13 games.

"We really are shocking the lacrosse world on this Island," Vassallo said. "And for sure in Suffolk County. We’re the underdogs right now."

Floyd has won seven of its past eight games, entering the final regular-season contest of the year. Many of the victories have been considered upsets based on preseason rankings, but the team felt poised for a strong year.

"We had a ton of confidence this year, in terms of playoffs, we really believed we were going to make it this year," Vassallo said. "We just kept working hard and kept believing and before you knew it, we started upsetting a lot of teams."

Floyd began focusing more on offseason and year-round training, and Vassallo mentioned the introduction of a youth program in the district.

Floyd has only one senior this year and utilizes a strong, young core. Kayla Gilmore, a freshman, leads Floyd with 42 goals, 16 assists and a 75 percent win rate on draws.

"She can create simple plays on the fly," Vassallo said. "The girls trust her and believe in her at such a young age, which is incredible."

Sharing the Rock

Delaney Radin had seven assists in Long Beach’s 8-5 victory over Massapequa Tuesday. And she scored the only goal she didn’t assist. Radin, a sophomore, leads Long Island with 49 assists through Thursday.

"She is the best feeder I’ve ever seen," coach Rachel Ray said. "Her vision, lacrosse IQ and touch on her passes to cutters is top Division-I level play. She is the quarterback of the Long Beach team."

Other top assisters on Long Island: Lacey Downey (West Babylon, 46), Alyssa Studdert (Half Hollow Hills, 39), Jordyn Behar (Wheatley, 34), Hayley Hermsdorf (Center Moriches, 33), Isabel Raimondi (Center Moriches, 33), Mary Ellen Gilchriest (Kings Park, 33), Danielle Scarfogliero (Sachem North, 32), Erin Schaefer (Sayville, 32), Dana McGowan (Whitman, 32), Abby Wise (Plainedge, 31) and Jolie Hurwitz (Roslyn, 31).

Plainedge dynamic duo

Abby Wise and Emma Kelly seem to have a next-level lacrosse connection.. Wise has 38 goals and 31 assists and Kelly has 57 goals and nine assists this season.

Wise is constantly looking to find Kelly for game-defining goals. They’ve been a key part to Plainedge’s 9-2 start in Nassau Conference II with the playoffs beginning next week.