Baldwin seeks playoff appearance

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After spending three seasons as an assistant coach, Rebecca LaFlare took over Baldwin’s varsity lacrosse program this spring and retained much of the philosophies of predecessor Nicole Lein.

“I learned a lot from working under Nicole,” said LaFlare, who played collegiately at Molloy after starring at Lindenhurst High School. “We’ve been spending a lot of time improving stick skills. We want to be able to catch and throw better. We have a bunch of great athletes.”

The Lady Bruins, who missed qualifying for the Nassau Class A playoffs by one game last spring, didn’t take long to deliver LaFlare her first victory as head coach. They built a four-goal halftime lead in the opener and held off Jericho, 7-5, on March 22 thanks to four goals and one assist from senior midfielder Bridget Jules, and 14 saves from senior goaltender Nicole Sheintul.

“The first win is always special,” LaFlare said. 

Sheintul, a four-year starter, is playing in front of a revamped defense featuring only one returning full-time starter from a year ago. “She’s fantastic,” LaFlare said of her last line of defense. “She’s made so much progress since freshman year. She’s attended clinics and put a lot of work in. She really doesn’t have a weak spot.”

Sheintul made two game-saving stops from close range in the extra period of Baldwin’s 6-5 overtime win at Roslyn on March 23. Eight days later, she posted a shutout against Hempstead.

Senior Deanne Noonan heads the defensive group and was elected captain. “She’s a breath of fresh air,” LaFlare said. “She’s such a hard worker and motivator. Her skills are great and she communicates really well.” Junior Kelsi King also has starting experience in the back and brings a tremendous amount of speed. She has the green light to make runs into the offensive zone, LaFlare said. Sophomores Jenna Annecchiarico, a newcomer to the sport, and Sarah Henry, up from JV, will also contribute defensively.

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