Long Beach hopes results flip

It hasn’t been a memorable start for Long Beach boys’ lacrosse, although coach Jason Pearl believes if the Marines continue to play with emotion and work hard, the results will turn.

“We’ve been very competitive and we’re trying to just move on to the next game,” Pearl said after Long Beach fell for the sixth time in eight games, 16-14 to visiting Riverhead last Saturday. “The kids know they’re playing at a high level,” he added. “We have four losses by one goal and one by two goals. We can definitely change the close results.”

The Marines are seeded No. 6 in the eight-team Conference B-1, and Pearl said one of the goals is to beat some rivals ranked ahead of them. Of their first eight games, only Manhasset provided a blemish on the conference mark. “It’s a sport of runs,” Pearl said. “We’ve had some back-and-forth games already. We just have to find ways to win.”

Long Beach had some impressive offensive performances against Riverhead, which raced to a 7-2 lead after the first quarter and never looked back. Senior Caleb Monzon had four goals and three assists and sophomore Shane Murphy scored five times in the defeat.

Murphy is part of an attack that returned all of its starters from a year ago when the Marines finished .500 and beat Roslyn in a first-round playoff matchup. “Shane is a crafty player who thinks outside the box,” Pearl said. Senior attack Kieran Rowley was Honorable Mention All-County in 2018 and off to another big start with 21 points (14 goals) through eight games. “He’s a great playmaker with a great shot,” the coach noted. Junior Wally Sofield (eight goals, 10 assists) is strong in the crease and can do damage as a scorer and feeder.

“I like the chemistry we have up front,” said Pearl, who slid senior John Spinelli from the attack to midfield.

Spinelli had a hat trick versus Riverhead and serves as one of the team’s captains. “He’s an excellent short stick defender and that’s part of the reason we moved him to midfield,” Pearl said. “He has good size and he’s also a verbal leader for us.”

Monzon has 20 points so far and is a “takeaway machine,” Pearl said. “We rely on Caleb to make good decisions with the ball in his stick,” the coach said. “He draws doubles, extends plays, and knows when to shoot and when to pass.”

Junior Trey Sofield is thriving in his first year as a long pole middie, while junior Connor Hagg has emerged as a key contributor. Sophomore Dean Buehre is handling most faceoffs, and junior Declan Conway has been a standout on clears.

In the back end, junior Dan Barto is the Marines’ top defender. He leads a unit that includes senior Eddie Heaney, who should return soon from injury, junior Billy Tighe and sophomore Dylan Goldstein. Between the pipes, senior Luke Mignoli is a returning starter making big stops in every game, Pearl said.

Long Beach hosts MacArthur on April 17 at 7 p.m.