Lady Jets sparked by offense

A high-octane offense powered a huge turnaround for the East Meadow girls’ lacrosse team. The Lady Jets improved from 1-7 in conference play last season to 6-1 this season (7-8 overall) and earned a berth in the Nassau Class AA playoff tournament as the No. 7 seed.

Though the postseason run didn’t go as hoped — it ended with a 20-3 loss to No. 3 Massapequa in the first round on May 19 — little could overshadow what East Meadow accomplished. “We have to play against the better teams to get experience so that next year we know what to expect,” coach Colleen McMahon said.

In winning four of their last five regular-season games, the Lady Jets averaged 13.0 goals per game as their fast-paced, run-and-gun offense hit full stride. Senior midfielders Ryan Meyer (40 goals, 12 assists) and Jessica Widmann (28, 18) both earned Honorable Mention All County honors after their success in finding the back of the net. Widmann also led the team in groundballs (40) and piled up big numbers on both sides of the field.

“She led the team in groundballs, forced turnovers and draw controls,” McMahon said. “She’s all over the place. She’s a complete athlete and has a knack for being very aggressive on the ball.”

Sophomore midfielder Emily Fitzsimmons earned All-Conference honors after scoring 13 goals and adding 22 assists, and freshman Jenna Borresen added 17 goals and seven assists. “Emily’s skills keep getting better and she’s becoming more confident,” McMahon said, noting that both players will take on even bigger offensive roles due to the graduation of Meyer and Widmann. “She [Fitzsimmons] really took control of the offense and [displayed] patience.”

Sophomore Danielle Widmann, who finished second on the team in groundballs with 34, junior Madison Young and senior Catherine Masterson all played crucial roles in helping East Meadow flip the field and catch opponents off guard and often, out of position. “We did better in transition,” McMahon said. “[We were quick] getting the ball to the midfield. We did an excellent job of getting out and making quick passes rather than settling down.”