Matt Licciardi, Kevin Winkoff propel CSH to Class C lacrosse title

On faceoffs, Cold Spring Harbor midfielder Matt Licciardi admits he’s a ball hog. “Get a possession, get my team the ball,” Licciardi said. After that, though, the Seahawks are a profit-sharing enterprise.

“When we share the ball, it’s pretty special to watch,” Licciardi said.

It was pretty sensational Tuesday night. Kevin Winkoff scored four goals and Licciardi, Taylor Strough and Riley Cox each produced hat tricks as Cold Spring Harbor defeated Locust Valley, 17-9, to win the Nassau Class C championship at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium.

“We have a lot of talent on offense,” said Winkoff, a sophomore and the younger brother of Ryan Winkoff, who was a senior mainstay on last year’s state championship team. “When we move the ball, we are hard to stop. Our team chemistry is great.”

Strough scored all three of his goals in the first quarter when the Seahawks (15-1) built a 6-2 lead. It grew to 10-5 at halftime as Winkoff was one of four different Cold Spring Harbor players to score in the second quarter. A three-goal flurry in the third quarter on goals by Winkoff, Matt DeGennaro and Ian Laviano made it 14-6.

Cold Spring Harbor will face the winner of Wednesday night’s Suffolk C championship between Babylon and Greenport/Southold/Mattituck.

Locust Valley suffered its first loss after 16 consecutive victories as Mike Madsen and Owen Trepata scored three goals each. The Falcons had beaten CSH, 10-9, on May 6, a loss that Seahawks coach Dennis Bonn called “the best thing that happened. Maybe it calmed us. The target on our backs was getting bigger and bigger.”

SEE PHOTOSLocust Valley-CSH Nassau Class C final photos

It’ll be growing again after Tuesday night’s offensive display. “We played much smarter on offense,” Bonn said. “We move the ball and it doesn’t matter who gets it or who scores. To be honest, it’s a pleasure to watch them.”

The pleasurable experience usually starts at the X, where Licciardi, who added two assists, is one of the best on Long Island. He won 22 of 25 on Tuesday and those extra possessions often resulted in good scoring opportunities for the Seahawks, who have their eyes on a bigger prize than the county championship.

“We’re the state champions. I don’t know if the kids feel the pressure, but I feel it,” Bonn said. “So it feels good to get this one.”

Winkoff, who was a fourth-line player last year, admitted he is looking ahead. “We’re not taking anything less than a state championship,” he said.