Girls Lacrosse: 3-1 Tuckers off to their best start ever
TUCKERS 14, RED DEVILS 7
Sure, it’s still early in the high school girls lacrosse season, but Mattituck/Greenport/Southold, winner of three of its first four games, is off to the best start in the team’s five-year varsity history.
That’s enough to put a smile on the Tuckers’ faces, as was their most recent triumph, a 14-7 defeat of rival Center Moriches on Tuesday.
It was a contentious affair, mostly between Center Moriches and the officiating. The Red Devils’ frustration with calls that went against them mounted as the game progressed on Center Moriches High School’s soggy field, which gave one the sense of walking on a sponge. Six yellow cards were shown to Center Moriches, which played the final 14 minutes 15 seconds down a player because of the penalties. Among those assessed a yellow card was Center Moriches’ coach, Michelle Ceraso, who had played for national champion Adelphi University teams.
The Tuckers (3-1, 2-1 Suffolk County Division II), who never trailed, broke the game open by scoring eight straight goals (including the first seven of the second half) for a 13-4 lead. Three of them came from sophomore Katie Hoeg, who finished with five goals from eight shots. She also had two assists and six ground balls.
Her cousin and fellow sophomore, Audrey Hoeg, produced four goals and two assists. The Tuckers also received three goals and three assists from Molly Kowalski.
Pam Schenck and Sydney Nankelvis scored two goals each for Center Moriches (1-2, 0-2). The game might have been more one-sided if not for the efforts of Center Moriches goalie Lydia Nelson, who made nine saves, several of which were of high quality.
The Tuckers shot out to a 3-0 lead on goals by Katie Hoeg, Kowalski and Audrey Hoeg in the opening 9:02.
But plucky Center Moriches battled back, evening the score at 3-3 on two penalty shots by Nankelvis and another goal by Sarah Volkmann.
Then Katie Hoeg, Audrey Hoeg and Kowalski pumped in three of the final four goals of the first half to send the Tuckers toward victory.
The Tuckers have also beaten Longwood and Bellport. Their sole loss came to first-place Babylon.
