Sophomore Grace Mulham's four goals leads young Ward Melville girls lacrosse
Ward Melville's Grace Mulham celebrates one of her goals in the first half during a Suffolk girls lacrosse game against Commack on Wednesday at Ward Melville. Credit: Bob Sorensen
The Ward Melville girls lacrosse team won’t be content until everybody on Long Island understands who the Patriots are. They are young but confident. And for good reason.
Ward Melville features 10 impact sophomores, including many starting at key positions. They’ve already proved ready for the moment, including a comeback victory over Garden City, the defending Long Island Class B champions, Saturday in the second game of the season.
The Patriots showcased their skillful youth again in an 11-6 home victory over Commack in Suffolk Division I girls lacrosse action Wednesday afternoon to improve to 4-0 overall.
“We’ve had a few tough games this season,” sophomore Grace Mulham said. “But I think we are proving ourselves to be the household name we want to be.”
Mulham scored four goals, including twice in the opening four minutes as Ward Melville took an early 3-0 advantage.
“We talked about making sure we came out strong, just to set the pace and tempo of the game to put it in our favor from the start,” coach Stephanie Peragallo said. “And they were able to do that.”
Grace Balocca, a sophomore, added three goals and an assist. Courtney Quinn, a senior committed to play at Stony Brook, added two goals and an assist as her leadership plays a crucial role for the Patriots.
“She’s kind of a breath of fresh air on the attack,” Peragallo said. “A lot of these younger girls will sometimes make some immature decisions. Courtney gets the ball and she’s able to control everything that happens around her.”
Ward Melville (2-0) opened a 5-1 lead with 16:50 remaining in the first half before Commack cut the Patriots’ lead to 7-4 entering halftime. Commack (1-1) trimmed Ward Melville’s lead to 8-6 with 15:52 remaining in the second half before the Patriots scored the game’s final three goals.
Emma Hendry had three goals for Commack.
“Our energy was high coming into the game with it being a battle of two undefeated teams, especially being on our home turf,” Mulham said. “We really wanted to get this one.”
Ava Carrillo, a sophomore, had 16 saves on her 16th birthday as a member of Ward Melville’s youth movement.
“We definitely have a young team, but we are really motivated to win this year,” Quinn said. “Everyone is stepping up to the plate and we’re starting to work well together as a team.”
Stated Mulham, “We’re ready.”
