East Meadow learning a new system

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East Meadow welcomes a new coach and a host of new players, and there have been some expected early spring growing pains on the lacrosse field. The Jets have dropped three of their first four games (1-3 overall, 0-1 in Conference A) while squaring off against several of Nassau County’s top teams right out of the gate but despite what the record says, new coach Steve D’Argenio has already seen some bright spots.

“We didn’t play well against North Shore [a 10-2 loss in the opener on March 19] but against Carey [an 11-2 loss in the second game on March 23] we had great intensity and played a scoreless second period,” he said. “We played great defense and had opportunities on defense with good, long possessions.”

Oceanside jumped out to a five-goal lead at halftime last Saturday, en route to a 14-9 victory over East Meadow. In the loss, sophomore James Howell scored three goals and had an assist, and junior Robbie Burtt had three goals, giving the Jets a combined 20 scores in their last two games.

Sophomore goalie John Whitenack was peppered by 35 shots in the loss to the Sailors—stopping 21 of them—and figures to be a key component of the team as the season moves forward. “For a young kid he’s got great composure,” D’Argenio said of his first year varsity starter. “He doesn’t seem to get rattled. We’re hoping as he gets a little more seasoned he becomes a leader. He makes phenomenal stops, has great anticipation and is really quick.”

The defense in front of Whitenack includes a pair of seniors, Kevin Skinner and Joe Puciloski, who’ve steadily grown into bigger roles, and a pair of juniors, Tom DeNicola and Anthony Farinella, that is also lending support. “We have a few seniors back that have [strong] ability,” D’Argenio said. “We also have three sophomores that are a good core of the team and a lot of juniors that are strong.”

The Jets offense took center stage in its first win, an 11-6 decision over Kennedy on Mar. 25, with six different players scoring at least once. Howell paced the offense with four goals and a pair of assists. Junior Brandon Carlin had two goals and two assists with Burtt tallying two scores. “Against Bellmore we capitalized on mistakes,” D’Argenio said, noting how important the offensive showing was. “It takes both sides of the field. If you don’t have an offense that can take time and give the defense a break [it’s tough]. A defense can only carry the weight so long.

“We had a lot of offensive opportunities and were seeing the next pass. We had a lot of good ball movement and good, long possessions.”

The Jets offensive playmakers also include senior midfielder Joe Babato, who had two assists against the Cougars and senior attack Dan Fuger, who had a goal and an assist in the game.

East Meadow has a pair of matchups scheduled during the holiday break. The team travels to Hicksville next Tuesday for key Conference A game at 4:30 p.m.