Break-even finish for Sailors

Oceanside had defending Nassau Class A boys’ lacrosse champion Hicksville on the ropes in their first-round playoff matchup, but the Sailors couldn’t provide the knockout punch despite a three-goal lead after the opening quarter.

The third-seeded Comets slowly chipped away and took the lead for good with 45 seconds remaining in the third quarter on one of four goals by Brandon Gamblin, who led the come-from-behind 7-4 victory.

“We had a nice start but we couldn’t hit the cage after the first quarter,” Oceanside coach Bob Moltisanti said. “We had trouble with finishing all season against the better teams. It’s not like we didn’t get the shots. We took 29 to Hicksville’s 31.”

Junior Austin Akner had two goals and seniors Nick Santillo and Mike Iorio added one apiece for the sixth-seeded Sailors, who finished with an overall record of 8-8. Senior goaltender Kyle Kalibat made a dozen saves, including a handful from close range in the first half.

“Kyle did a super job in the first quarter to shut them out and didn’t allow a goal until three minutes into the second quarter,” Moltisanti said of Kalibat, an honorable mention All-County performer. “They scored late in the first half off a turnover, but I don’t think it was a big factor because we were still ahead.”

After Oceanside fell behind 4-3, Iorio netted the equalizer with 2:07 remaining in the third. But Gamblin regained the lead for the Comets and scored one of their two fourth-quarter goals for the difference.

“It’s disappointing because I thought we had a team capable of contending for a county championship,” Moltisanti said.

The Hicksville defense held the Sailors All-County tandem of juniors Chris Hughes and Nick Sherry off the score sheet. Hughes had 23 goals and 36 assists on the year for a team-leading 59 points, while Sherry registered 26 goals and 13 assists. “Hicksville defended us as well as anyone all season,” Moltisanti said. “Chris and Nick got doubled most of the time, and that’s going to happen all of next season. Our second tier of scorers will need to step up.”

Akner, an All-Conference choice, stepped up in the playoff game and finished as the team leader in goals with 31. Another junior, John Remsen, contributed 26 goals and 10 assists.

On defense, the Sailors had juniors John Griffin and Brendon Mueller earn All-Conference honors. Moreover, junior Joe Swanson excelled as a long-pole defender after a midseason switch from offensive midfielder. In goal, Andrew Failla will be ready to take over the starting job next spring as a junior.

“We’ll have a lot coming back,” Moltisanti said.

Of the eight wins, the coach said an 8-7 triumph at East Meadow in the regular-season finale stands out.