Baldwin among title contenders

The Baldwin girls’ lacrosse team is in contention for the Conference IV championship as the season enters its final week and will receive a further boost with the long-awaited return of last year’s leading scorer.

After two tough losses to start the season, the senior-less Bruins (8-3, 5-1 conference) ripped off an eight-game winning streak that vaulted it near the top of the division standings with three games remaining at press time. The run ended with a weather-marred 4-0 loss to Kennedy last Saturday, leaving Baldwin to battle it out with the Cougars, Glen Cove, New Hyde Park, and Freeport for conference supremacy.

After a home date with Herricks, the Bruins will visit New Hyde Park this Saturday before hosting Freeport on Tuesday to close the season.

The lineup was bolstered with the return of eighth-grader Kaitlin Timmes, who rifled in 27 goals last season before breaking her leg during last fall’s soccer season. She played sparingly against Kennedy.

“The girls are very excited to have her back,” coach Rebecca LaFlare said. “She was supposed to be cleared at the beginning of the season, but her doctor wanted to make sure that everything was healed. It’s nice to have her back for the end of the season.”

The Bruins’ biggest win during their run came against Glen Cove (9-2, 5-1) on April 11, when freshman Ava Jerome scored her second goal of the game with 2:28 left to give the home team a 6-5 victory.

“We called a timeout right before that goal happened,” LaFlare said. “We laid out what we wanted to happen and they did exactly what they needed to do. Everyone got a touch and then they started making the cuts and the play happened. It was such a beautiful goal for Ava. Picture perfect.”

The offense is led by freshman CJ Keryc and junior Emma Ryan, who each reached the 30-goal mark in a 10-3 win over Clarke on April 25. Keryc has had three five-goal games this season, while Ryan enjoyed a six-goal performance during the Bruins’ 13-4 thumping of Hicksville on April 17.

Juniors Alexis Lakeran, Reyna Palmer and Sienna Hardy have led a defensive corps that has yielded just over six goals a game and goaltender Megan Englehart has filled in admirably for the injured Briana Maisonet.

“Megan has stepped it up big-time,” LaFlare said. “I am so proud of her.”

Junior transition Jasmin Tiong-Smith has been a catalyst at both ends of the field and LaFlare called her the “unsung hero” of the team. She had a goal and two assists in the Bruins’ first win of the season against West Hempstead on March 29.

Baldwin advanced to the second-round of the playoffs for the first time under LaFlare last year and history could very well repeat itself with the return of their star midfielder.

“I think now, especially having Kaitlin back, it’s just like we’re going to have a different team for the better,” LaFlare said. “I think it’s going to make the odds nicer for us.”