Wantagh's Isabella Sandoval gets second chance, scores 2OT winner against North Shore

Isabella Sandoval wasn’t going to let this moment slip away. Not again.

The sophomore on the Wantagh girls lacrosse team had a chance to deliver her team a victory over an undefeated North Shore atop the Nassau Conference I standings. But her shot in the first overtime was saved. She was afraid she missed her only chance.

But her teammates never lost confidence in her. Wantagh senior Madison Alaimo scoured the field from behind the North Shore goal and found a cutting Sandoval with 39.2 seconds left in the second overtime period. Sandoval finished this time to give Wantagh an 11-10 home victory over North Shore in Nassau Conference I girls lacrosse on Tuesday.

“I missed the first one so I felt I had to redeem myself and do it for my team,” Sandoval said. “I knew it. There was no other option. I had to score, that was it.”

Alaimo, who led Wantagh with four goals and three assists, also knew the sophomore would finish the goal.

“I knew she wanted it,” Alaimo said. “She was wide open and I knew she had confidence. She wanted it. I wanted it. It was a good goal.”

Wantagh (10-2, 5-2) handed North Shore (11-2, 6-1) its first conference loss of the season. Daniela Martini had four goals and Kylee Colbert added three goals for North Shore.

Wantagh goalie Lauren Rochel had a pivotal save with 32 seconds left in the second half on a wraparound shot to keep the score tied at 10 and force overtime.

“I had to trust my instincts,” Rochel said. “I’ve seen those shots a million times so it was just focusing on what I saw. I focused on her shoulders, where her hip placement was and the ball coming out of her stick and you could tell.”

North Shore led 7-6 at halftime and the teams were never separated by more than one goal in the second half. Alaimo scored with 1:15 left in the second half to give Wantagh a 10-9 lead but Colbert won the ensuing draw control, stormed down the field and fired in the tying goal 12 seconds later.

Julia Nicholson added three goals and Riley Forthofer had two goals and an assist for Wantagh.

“It was intense,” coach Lauren Ruppert said. “We knew it was going to be a tough game. They had no (conference) losses. The girls and we all went in knowing how big of a game this would be.”