The good news for the Hendrick Hudson boys lacrosse squad was that it got off to a good start in its contest against visiting Somers as it scored the game’s first goal.
The bad news was that it was all Somers after that. The Tuskers scored seven goals in a row after Hen Hud's opening tally to defeat the Sailors 7-1 on Thursday afternoon.
Getting the Sailors off to a flying start was senior co-captain Mike Bertoline, who registered the first score of the contest between the two Section 1 Class B squads two minutes and 11 seconds into the game. Bertoline simply saw an open space and put the ball into the goal.
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“I got it from X, pushed it to my left, saw that I had a shot, ripped it and scored,” Bertoline said.
Bertoline’s score, which was unassisted, was all the Sailors (6-7) would get, however, because of a stingy Tuskers defense and a great game in goal by Chris Cousins, who made 17 saves with quick-as-a-cat reflexes.
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“They have a tough defense, they were locking off everyone,” Bertoline said. “Offensively, we were a little sluggish, we couldn’t move the ball around. We just have to work harder, learn from our mistakes and get better from this.”
Somers tied the game with 7:23 to go in the first quarter. The visitors then broke the tie when they scored 11 seconds into the second quarter off the opening face-off.
Somers doubled its lead to 3-1 when it scored with just 47 remaining before halftime. While that no doubt gave the Tuskers momentum going into the second half, Hen Hud coach Craig Solomon said his team lost because it wasn’t able to execute offensively.
“It was just a two-goal deficit at that point. I don’t think it was just that one play that determined the outcome of the game,” Solomon said. “We only scored one goal and you can’t win doing that. Offensively, we just didn’t take advantage of our opportunities.”
Somers did take advantage of its opportunities, as it scored three goals toward the end of the third quarter to go up 6-1 before adding one more goal in the fourth for its final score.
Doing his best to prevent the Tuskers from scoring was Hen Hud goalie Elliot Astor, who made 18 saves.
“Elliot is a good goalie, he did a good job today,” Solomon said. “I thought AJ Small played well and so did Joe Fraietta. I was pleased with the way we played defensively as a whole. When you allow a team like Somers just four goals for almost three quarters, you are doing a good job. I would take that any time defensively against a team like that.”
If Hen Hud is going to rebound in its next contest, at home at 7 p.m. Saturday against Fordham Prep, Bertoline said the Sailors will have to give a solid effort from opening face-off to the game’s final play.
“We have to play as a team,” Bertoline said. “Work hard, don’t stop, we just have to keep it going for all four quarters.”
That all-out effort must include better offensive production, Solomon said.
“What we have to do against Fordham Prep to get back on track is simple. We have to score,” Solomon said. “We can’t expect to beat anybody scoring one goal.”
