Sara Curley, Lynbrook girls lacrosse display solid teamwork to beat Oceanside

Sharing has been the key for the Lynbrook girls lacrosse team all season. Whether that’s sharing the ball, sharing the space or sharing the praise. It’s what has led the Owls to an undefeated season so far in conference play and what they hope will be an extended postseason run.

Lynbrook defeated host Oceanside, 15-10, in Nassau Conference II on Thursday. The Owls had 10 goals off assists and five players recorded at least three points.

“We have so many stars out there to create many opportunities at all different levels,” said Sara Curley, a senior attack. “It’s not really like we have to focus on one player, so we are able to be dynamic all over the field.”

Curley had two goals and four assists, including her 200th varsity point in the win. Brooke Mazzei had four goals and an assist and Mimi Berkowitz added three goals and two assists.

Coach Vincent Tetro also praised Curley for reaching the milestone. Curley, who has a NIL deal with Stony Brook women’s lacrosse legend Kylie Ohlmiller’s KO17 Lacrosse, has been pivotal toward Lynbrook’s success.

“She puts in a ridiculous amount of hard work, she trains constantly and it’s paying off on the field,” Tetro said. “Her work ethic and the amount of training she puts in elevates her game every year.”

Lynbrook (12-2, 8-0) closed the final 16 minutes of the first half on a 6-0 run to take an 8-2 lead into halftime. Oceanside (6-7, 4-4) cut Lynbrook’s lead to 11-7 with 11:34 left in the second half before the Owls responded with three goals in four minutes to retake control.

“We’re just unselfish and know our role on the field,” Curley said. “We celebrate every little play that happens so if it comes from the defense and we score on offense, we are celebrating that defensive play that led to the offense. So we are appreciating everyone on the team and every little small thing that we do together.”

Ava Padilla and Sam DeLucca each added two goals and an assist and Caityblu Cavassa had 15 draw controls for Lynbrook. Leigha Zaman had four goals for Oceanside.

Lynbrook has goals of an undefeated conference record heading into a highly competitive Nassau Class C playoffs.

“We know we can’t let up,” Mazzei said. “We just have to continue on our streak and stay strong and confident. We still want to win our last few games but we still have to finish strong. Nothing’s guaranteed.”

Class C is arguably the most competitive conference on Long Island. Lynbrook will likely have to play a combination of teams like Manhasset, North Shore and Wantagh on a quest to reach a county final. That won’t be easy but the Owls are ready for the challenge once the playoffs begin.

“Our whole motto this year is to get better every day,” Tetro said. “And that’s what we’ve been trying to do.”

And the Owls have been doing that with their variety of talent. Each game can be a different girl at the helm en route to a victory.

“One of our keys this year is we’re pretty balanced,” Tetro said. “We have a lot of players that can do a lot of different things. Between Mazzei, Cavassa, Berkowitz and Kaelynn O’Brien, we can score from anywhere. Sara can go off in any game, but we have other girls that can compliment her.”