History likes to repeat itself when it comes to the Massapequa girls lacrosse team.
In a rematch of last year’s championship game, Massapequa defeated Syosset, 7-6, to claim its second straight Nassau Class A title Friday at Adelphi.
Syosset looked for a comeback win and controlled the ball for most of the second half, but senior goalie Luchianna Cardello made nine saves, including a few late in the game to help Massapequa hold on to its one-goal lead.
“It was a game where you were sitting on the edge of your seats” Cardello said. “Everyone was so in the moment with it. It was really exciting to play in and it felt great to come out on top.”
Massapequa got the ball back with just over three minutes left and managed to keep possession until the clock ran out.
“Our defense has been lockdown all year,” Kollar said. “They did a tremendous job of forcing bad shots and shutting Syosset down.”
Massapequa (12-4) got out to a 6-2 lead, but went into halftime up 6-3 as Syosset got a goal back as time expired.
“We stuck to our plan in the first half and possessed the ball offensively and made smart decisions,” coach Erin Kollar said.
Joely Caramelli and Ellen Leisen each scored two goals for Massapequa. Megan Kitagawa had three goals and one assist for Syosset (7-9).
In another rerun from last year, Massapequa will face Northport in the Class A Long Island Championship at Stony Brook University on Sunday, June 5 at noon.
Northport took a 10-6 victory over a young Massapequa team last year, but Kollar says her team will be ready for the rematch.
“This year, they know what to expect,” Kollar said. “They have more experience and they have high expectations for our team.”
“It was really sad seeing our seniors leave last year after that loss,” Cardello added. “We knew we would be playing them again and this year we really have something to prove against Northport.”
By Matt Lindsay
matt.lindsay@newsday.com
