Oceanside recovers with big win

Shaking off a lopsided loss to unbeaten Syosset earlier last week, Oceanside returned to the win column with a 12-4 victory over Uniondale in a Nassau Conference A boys’ lacrosse game last Friday.

Senior attack Brennan Segelkin wasn’t feeling 100 percent but still managed five goals to lead the offense for the Sailors, who had dropped five of their previous six games. Senior Shane Clark and juniors Kevin O’Keefe and Dakota Swanson added two goals apiece in the much-needed win.

“Brennen was under the weather and basically stepped out of his bed and onto the field and had a big game,” Oceanside coach Jim Gillis said of Segelkin, who leads the team in goals with 30. “He’s the heart of our offense,” he added. “He never stops and constantly makes things happen.”

Perhaps still stinging from their 18-5 setback at Syosset two days earlier, the Sailors (5-4 in conference games, 5-7 overall) were sluggish in the early going against Uniondale and ran into a hot goaltender, Gillis said. The Knights led 1-0 after the first quarter and trailed by only one, 4-3, at halftime before Oceanside opened the floodgates in the second half with eight goals. “Uniondale is athletic and has a handful of guys who are definitely playing a lot of lacrosse,” Gillis said. “Their goalie played a great first half, but we came out with a big third quarter to take control. We needed it for our confidence.”

Charlie Canales made 13 saves for Uniondale, while Oceanside senior Joe Rugolo also turned aside 13 shots.

The victory may or may not have been enough for the Sailors to secure the No. 6 seed in the Nassau Class A playoff tournament. Avoiding powerhouses Syosset and Massapequa in the first round is their best way to advance, Gillis said. “We’re not just talking two of the best teams in the county, but also the country,” he noted. “Syosset and Massapequa are nationally ranked. It’s no surprise how good they are.

“Syosset caught us on the chin early,” Gillis added. “The few opportunities you get against a team like that, you need to execute and convert. We hit the post three times in the first half. It’s tough on a team mentally when that happens.”

Should Oceanside stay in its current position, a first-round matchup with Port Washington is practically a lock. On April 23, the Vikings beat the visiting Sailors, 15-11, behind six goals apiece from Joey Froccaro and Luke Cummings. Froccaro is widely considered the top face-off player in Nassau. “Froccaro is at the top of his game right now,” Gillis said. “If we see Port in the playoffs, we’ll have to do the best we can on draws and try to match their offense. I don’t mind getting into shootouts with the offense we’ve got.”

The Sailors scored 15 in a one-goal loss to Hicksville on April 15 but came back less than a week later to beat MacArthur, 13-8, behind senior Mike Checco’s four goals and six points from Clark, who has 26 goals on the year.