Baldwin led by experienced midfield

Owners of a 3-2 mark in Conference II girls’ lacrosse (5-4 overall) with two games remaining in the regular season, Baldwin’s come out on top in defensive battles as well as offensive shootouts. The Lady Bruins’ most recent win was a 7-6 battle with Freeport on April 20, that included continued strong play from senior goalie Nicole Sheintul and senior midfielder Bridgette Jules.

“She’s so quick,” coach Rebecca LaFlare said of Sheintul. “She plays the field in soccer, and she’s a quick [lacrosse] goalie. She knows what she’s doing there and knows where [the shots] are going.

“Freeport had a lot of fast breaks. They were getting the ball and running it down. To stop fast break shots is hard, and she had three pretty big ones [late] to keep us ahead.”

While Sheintul was stopping shots, Jules was busy converting them on the other end of the field. She tallied a team-high five goals — her second highest output of the season — and added an assist for good measure with senior attack LaMiya Glasgow and sophomore Emily Metzguer-Schiro also scoring for Baldwin in the Conference II win. “Bridgette, she makes it happen,” LaFlare said. “She is the midfielder coming down last. Most of [her] goals are in settled situations. She can beat a defender to score but has had some on fastbreaks. She knows when to settle it down.”

The win over the Lady Red Devils made it two victories in three games for Baldwin, which dropped a 12-5 non-league battle with Long Beach on April 26. In the loss, junior Bella Derlly had a pair of goals, while Jules and sophomore Aisling Geraghty each had one. Six days earlier, the Lady Bruins snapped a three-game losing skid with a 15-11 win over Plainview JFK. In the win, Jules scored a season-high seven times, while Metzguer-Schiro had four goals. Glasgow, junior Meghan George and sophomore Jenna Anneccharico also scored.

The backline has been a strong point for the Lady Bruins this spring, with Anneccharico and junior Sarah Henry providing aggressive play at low defense. Both are first-year varsity players, whose quickness causes fits for offensive players. Senior Deanna Noonan is the anchor of the unit with juniors Sam Conforti and Kelsi King and Geraghty also contributing. King and Geraghty are new to the defense after spending time in offensive roles last season. “Because of their speed we moved them to defense,” LaFlare said. “They picked up the zone [scheme] well and both play up on the elbows.”

In a conference where only the top two teams qualify for the upcoming Nassau County Class AA playoffs, Baldwin was on the outside looking in with two games remaining and three teams to leapfrog in the standings. The Lady Bruins close the campaign on the road against a Port Washington team setting the pace in Conference II with a 6-0 mark heading into the final week of the regular season. The game is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.