The fourth seeded Port Washington Vikings boys varsity lacrosse team opened their postseason push with a 13-7 win against fifth seed East Meadow Jets on Tuesday, May 17. These two teams squared off in the Nassau A quarterfinals at Hofstra University.
Senior midfielder Hayden Braider and senior attacker Seth Obadia each finished with a hat trick. Junior attacker Brian Crawley scored twice to round out the Vikings offensive attack.
The Vikings finished their regular season with an 8-6 overall record and went 4-4 in conference matchups. They played against East Meadow back on April 26 at Schreiber High School, where they came out on top 14-8.
After facing the Jets once again, Vikings head coach Isaac Neal stressed that in order to counter a team that is known for their athletic ability, they would have to utilize their up-tempo style that they instilled throughout the season. This would prove to be the difference in their grueling quarterfinal matchup.
“I thought we outpaced our opponents today,” said Neal. “Our goal was to try to match their athleticism and then use our skills to hopefully come on top and that’s what we did. We definitely matched their athleticism.”
In the first quarter, the Vikings outscored the Jets 3-1. Despite taking some penalties, the Vikings still managed to play their up-tempo style and keep possession. The Vikings got goals from Braider, Crawley and junior midfielder Robbie Connors in the quarter.
In the second quarter, the Vikings outscored the Jets 4-3 and took a 7-4 lead going into halftime. With 6:56 left in the quarter, the Jets called a timeout and it would reenergize them. The timeout picked up their play and they would go on to score twice in 47 seconds. However, it wasn’t enough to overcome the early pressure established by the Vikings. Crawley and Braider would score their second goals of the game in this quarter. Obadia and sophomore midfield James Dalimonte would also find the back of the net to round out the second quarter offense for the Vikings.
In the third quarter, both teams came out and pressured the opposition’s goaltenders by trading shots and goals. Vikings senior Goaltender Nick Ferraro would come up with some big saves in the second half to keep his team on top.
“He’s still that rock that holds us down,” said Neal. “East Meadow had a long possession with the ball and you forget that you have a goalie that can bail you out at the last minute. He got a few of those tonight and that’s huge.”
The Vikings would cling on to the lead as they outscored the Jets 4-2. They would get goals from senior midfielder Andrew Kerr, sophomore midfielder John Athanasian, and senior attacker Christian Athanasian. Braider would net a hat trick as the Vikings would take an 11-6 lead going into the final quarter.
In the final quarter, it became mostly a defensive battle as it was for most of the game. Both teams would combine for three goals, with Obadia scoring both for the Vikings and completing the hat trick.
“It was a rough start for me but at the end, I finally started getting going,” said Obadia. “I had a couple of turnovers but I think in the end it all comes down to effort and me and everyone else were just going 100 mph. That triumphs all.”
The Vikings would eventually go on to win 13-7. They now have their sight set on top-seeded Syosset, who they will square off against on May 25 at Hofstra University at 8 p.m. In order to erase last year’s semifinal defeat and their last encounter on May 6, the boys would need to be perfect in order to change the ending.
“Last year, we went out and it was upsetting,” said Braider. “Coming back, we want to keep it going and don’t want to stop. It feels good to keep it going.”
