Ward Melville Lacrosse Tops Sachem

Chalk Tuesday’s boy’s lacrosse rivalry game between Sachem North and Ward Melville up as another great contest in the storied history between the schools.

Sachem, who has not beaten the Patriots since 20o1, fell, 14-11, but scored more goals against them then any other opponent this season.

Tyler Hegarty led Ward Melville with three goals, while Sachem's Brandon Gamblin led all scorers with four tallies.

With Sachem’s (8-3 Overall, 6-3 Division I) Michael Andreassi sidelined due to an elbow injury, the Patriots (10-1, 8-1) were still faced with defending a high-powered offense that is still finding its way at this point in the season.

“We’re not used to giving up 11 goals to anybody,” said Ward Melville coach Mike Hoppey. “I give them a lot of credit, especially without one of their better players, to come out and play that well offensively.”

Sachem coach Jay Mauro said he is uncertain of Andreassi's return at this point. He's listed as day-to-day until further notice.

Both teams exchanged goals consistently until the third quarter when Ward Melville went up 11-6. Sachem, however, drew a two-minute non-releasable penalty off a cross check and gained momentum, scoring four unanswered goals into the fourth quarter.

The score was 11-10 with 7:18 left, and Ward Melville received goals by Hegarty and Tyler Harvazinski for needed cushion down the stretch.

Dalton Crossan, who had three goals in the game for Sachem, scored with 2:59 left, but the score was 13-11 and stayed that way until Brendan Hegarty drilled in the final mark with 48 seconds left.

“We didn’t execute at points,” Mauro said. “We’re going to get better from this. We just played one of the best teams in the country and we were back and forth, neck and neck.”

Each team plays again Wednesday afternoon; Sachem against West Babylon and Ward Melville against Hills East.

Ward Melville: Tyler Hegarty (3g), Frank Lucutuorto (2g), Jack Harvazinski (2g), John Edmonds (2g, 1a), Sean Cleary (1g), Will Mazzone (1g, 1a), Jim Coughlan (1g), Brendan Hegarty (1g), and Jack Bruckner (1g, 1a). Saves: Brian Deroesch 5.

Sachem: Brandon Gamblin (4g), Dalton Crossan (3g), Shawn Murphy (1g), Eric Talbot (1g), Kyle Rhatigan (1g, 2a), Jack Gannon (1g, 1a), Jesse Scanna (1a) and Tim Lang (1a). Saves: Timmy Matos 9 and Gerald Logan 6.