The Huntington boys’ lacrosse team won its third straight game on the road to improve to a perfect 3-0, topping Northport in the 19th Annual Louis J. Acompora Memorial Lacrosse Jamboree game, 8-5.
After scoring the game’s first goal, the Blue Devils fell behind, 4-2 but then staged a spectacular rally and hunkered down on defense to frustrate Northport’s offense.
Robbie Smith led Huntington with three goals and two assists. Chris Maichin scored twice and assisted on another goal. Jack Krisch had a goal and two assists along with a team high four ground balls. Liam Lennon and Liam Hassett both had a goal and an assist. Goalie Alex Fascilla turned in an exceptional performance, making 16 saves.
“Today was another great team win,” Smith said. “We have been working hard all year to prepare for this season and we have really come together as a team.”
Krisch’s senior season is off to a great start. “It felt really great to win today’s game,” he said. “It was a big character builder. We were in a tough spot going into the third quarter, but everyone stayed resilient and pushed to win the game. We are really hopeful about the season. We took down two teams in the pre-season top four this week, so we all believe that we can run with the best. We’re taking it game by game though keeping a gritty mentality.”
Fascilla played what might be the finest game of his career, stopping some absolute rockets fired at him by Northport.
“The whole team is very excited about today’s win,” said Fascilla after the game. “We knew going into the game it was going to be a hard one, but we came to play. It felt very nice to get the win after a very competitive game. During the week, we prepared by going hard in practice trying new plays and sets and also watching film to help us get a better understanding of what we can improve upon and also the tendencies of the other team. I along with the rest of the team am very happy with our performance so far. It’s nice to see all our hard work during the off season and within the past few weeks pay off by defeating some of the best teams on the Island. We look forward to continuing to work hard and to keep defeating these tough opponents.”
The Blue Devils were clearly pumped up following the big win. “I feel like we played very well against Northport,” Aidan McNulty said. “We played together as a unit and were playing full speed throughout the entire game. We didn’t let anything stop us from getting the win. I think we are off to a great start on the season. We are 3-0 and we are coming for the No. 1 spot in Suffolk Division I. However, we can’t let these big wins get to our heads. We have to play like we are still 0-0.”
Hassett turned in a superb performance against Northport and rarely came off the field. “Today’s game was awesome and it was great seeing’s everyone get involved and a huge start to the season for us,” he said. “Our team this year looks really good. Everyone’s on the same page and I can’t wait to see what we can do.”
More than anything, the Blue Devils are just happy to be playing together after last season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and this season was pushed back nearly two months.
“First of all it’s great to be back on the field,” Lennon said. “The game against Northport was a huge win for us. It wasn’t a huge win because they are our rivals, but because it shows how good of a team we are and how dangerous we are when we work together. It shows how much we can do as a team. I believe the season is going very well so far, especially since we shot out at the start with three major wins. This will allow us to come out strong and accomplish what I think we are capable of. The support of the coaches is also major because without them we would be a bunch of talented lacrosse players without any guidance and I think they make this team what we are.”
The Blue Devils won two earlier games last week, nipping nationally ranked Smithtown West in overtime, 8-7 and coming from behind to edge William Floyd, 11-9.
Against Smithtown West, the Blue Devils led 3-1 at halftime before the Bulls came storming back to tie the game and send it into overtime.
Krisch scored four goals, including the game winner. The senior also had an assist. Hassett had two goals and Lennon and Jack O’Brien also scored goals in the game. Fascilla made 14 saves in the goal.
Huntington started slowly at William Floyd in the second game of the season, spotting the Colonials a 5-2 lead over the first 12 minutes. But the Blue Devils rallied and outscored their hosts the rest of the way, 9-4 to claim the win.
McNulty had three goals and Lennon, O’Brien and Maichin each scored twice. Hassett and Smith also scored in the game. Smith added a pair of assists. McNulty and O’Brien each had one assist. Fascilla made 14 saves in goal. Anthony Annunziata won 80 percent of his face-offs to help lift Huntington to victory.
The Blue Devils host Commack on Tuesday afternoon at Blue Devil Stadium.
