By Anthony Vertucci
When Alex Dodge scored the tying goal for Smithtown West with 34 seconds left in regulation to cap an incredible comeback it appeared as if a Bulls victory was written in the stars. It was not meant to be however, as the undefeated West Islip Lions scored in sudden death overtime to take the victory and their eighth consecutive Suffolk Class A title.
Islip took a 5-0 lead in the first quarter, which included goals from Drew Federico and Tom Moore. Smithtown finally got on the board at 3:39 in the first with a goal from Matt Schultz, his first of four goals Wednesday afternoon. The game took place at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium at Stony Brook University.
Matt Schultz
Brendan Smith and Mike Sagl led Islip with three goals each. Smith’s scoring included the game-winning goal with 2:28 remaining in the first and only overtime period.
Today marks Smithtown’s star attacker Kyle Keenan’s final game for Smithtown. “It was a great season. We really became a total team this season and it just shows today what we can do, how we came back and rallied as a team,” said Keenan, who had three goals and five assists in the game. “We played a team brand of lacrosse and that’s how we were in the position to win. It was a great game that just didn’t go our way.”
After taking a seven-goal lead Islip began to show some cracks in their defense, of which Smithtown capitalized. Goals from Keenan and Schultz brought the score to 9-4 heading into the half. Ryan Joseph scored at 10:23 in the third quarter, after which both squads showed impeccable defense by holding each other scoreless for the next nine minutes. Schultz pulled his team within three at 3:48, but Conor Braddish fired right back to make it 10-6. With 28 seconds remaining in the quarter Keenan had his second goal of the day to once again decrease Islip’s lead to three.
The teams had only met one previous time this season, a dramatic 8-7 overtime victory for Islip on May 6. Today’s victory keeps Islip’s (14-0, 16-0) perfect season on track, and increases their undefeated streak to 40. Last month’s loss was Smithtown’s (12-3, 13-3) third in the regular season.
“We had opportunities they just weren’t going in. Maybe it was just being at the big dance and not used to being there,” said Smithtown head coach Sean Keenan. “Second half we showed what we could do. If we played a full game like we did in the second, maybe the outcome would be a lot different. They played a great first quarter and it came back to haunt us. We just came up a little shy.”
The fourth quarter belonged to Smithtown, as they continued their comeback with a goal from Ryan Joseph. Nick Aponte, who also had three assists for Islip, scored several moments later to give his team the 11-8 lead. With just 3:35 left in the game, Smithtown had to act fast if they wanted to overcome a three goal deficit. Frank Reda and Kyle Keenan answered the call to bring Smithtown within one with two minutes remaining. The big goal came with 34 seconds left on the clock after Keenan set up Dodge for the game tying goal. The Smithtown fans erupted as the game went to overtime.
Smithtown Fans Erupt As Game Go Into Overtime
With the game headed to sudden death most of the crowd was on their feet. Islip goalie Kyle Turri, made a fantastic stick save off an attempt from James Pannell to keep the game alive. Smith’s goal at 2:28 clinched the game and the Suffolk Championship for Islip.
“We had our chance in overtime; their goalie made a great save,” said coach Keenan. “All the kids just played great. We played with heart and desire the entire season and we never gave up. It’s a shame we had to end the season that way.”