One day after rainout, Manhasset scores 11 straight goals to win Nassau Class C boys lacrosse title

When the Manhasset boys lacrosse team first took the field Wednesday evening for warmups, it had no way of knowing what the next 24 hours would look like.

Wednesday’s Nassau Class C final entered a weather delay because of lightning midway through the first quarter. After a roughly 40-minute delay, the student-athletes were set to return to the field, only for another strike to postpone the game for the evening.

When the players went to bed, they were expecting to play at 5 p.m. Thursday. They found out during the school day that the game was moved up to 2 p.m. to counter more storms in the forecast.

But none of this rattled Manhasset. After surrendering the first two goals in the final, top-seeded Manhasset scored 11 unanswered goals en route to a 14-4 victory over No. 3 South Side  to win the championship at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium..

“Chaotic,” said Joey Terenzi, who had two goals and an assist. “That’s the only word I can really think of.”

Manhasset (14-4) plays Mount Sinai (18-0) in the Long Island Class C championship/Southeast Regional final at Hofstra Saturday at 5:30 p.m. after winning its third-straight county title. South Side finishes 12-5.

Liam Connor had four goals and two assists, Jack Petersen had three goals and an assist, Matt Perfetto had two goals and an assist and Matt Cargiulo had a goal and two assists in the win.

Manhasset trailed 2-0 before Perfetto’s goal with 49.3 seconds left in the first quarter. That started the 11-0 run with South Side’s third goal coming with 6:59 remaining in the fourth quarter.

“The biggest thing for us is just to move the ball and look for the next guy,” Connor said. “We are an unselfish group so we know if someone is open inside, that’s who we are going to get the ball to and we had a bunch of different guys contribute today.”

“We’ve been a team of runs,” coach Keith Cromwell said. “When we get one, we kind of settle down a little bit and everyone gets a little more comfortable … we’re tough to handle when the ball is humming around and they are sharing the rock.”

Next up is a familiar foe for Manhasset after falling to Mount Sinai, 14-13, in the Long Island Class C championship last season. Nobody involved in that contest has forgotten about it – even if they’d like to.

“It was a horrible feeling,” Connor said. “My brother was on the team last year, he’s my best friend, and just seeing him with the tears coming down his face knowing his career is over losing to that team, it was definitely tough.”

“It’s going to be crazy, but we expect it,” Terenzi said. “And we are going to come in with the same mentality we always do and get the job done and move to the next one. I’d be lying if I said that loss from last year still doesn't sting but I really hope we can win Saturday.”