Tuckers lacrosse coach focuses on positives after blowout loss

When you’ve just been on the short end of a 16-5 score, it might be difficult to find some positives, but Jeff Hauser had no problem.

The Mattituck/Greenport/Southold lacrosse head coach pointed to the performances of juniors Jack Buonaiuto and Alex Warren in the Suffolk County Division II match at Center Moriches on Friday.

Buonaiuto scored four goals and assisted on another. Warren, a goalie, played well despite surrendering 16 goals.

“That’s a positive,” Hauser said of Buonaiuto. “We’ve got a junior that can shoot the ball. He can move it. He’s smart, he’s quick, he’s strong, he’s athletic, and paired with some of our other juniors, like Rafa [Finnerty] and Henry [Blair].”

Added Buonaiuto: “I was working on moving the ball and keeping it going around in a circle with all my teammates and just getting some like good passes and shooting the ball when I needed to.”

Many of the goals that Mattituck conceded weren’t the fault of Warren, who finished with 16 saves. He is sixth in the county with 42.

“We have a great goalie,” Hauser said. “I respect Alex so much. He’s a great kid. I love having him on the team. He just works hard. He was the understudy for Andrew McKenzie last year, who set the Mattituck record for most saves in a season. He has a quick mentality where he’s [like] ‘I’m on to the next one.’ He let one in, boom, he’s right back.”

Well before Tuckers midfielder and captain, Nate Steinfeld, took on Mason Walsh for the opening faceoff, Hauser realized his team was facing an uphill battle against the defending Class D champions.

“It’s really tough because we are a very young team this year, graduating about 13 seniors last year, and most of them were starters,” Hauser said. “There’s a lot of new spots that need to be filled. The other thing is that we have a big, diverse group of kids that were playing junior high last year.”

Hauser wasn’t exaggerating. He has 10 freshmen, five sophomores, eight juniors and one senior — Steinfeld.

“We have a lot of learning to do,” he said. “We have a lot of practice to do. Big, big shoes to fill from last year, and we’re just trying to find what pieces work.”

The Red Devils (2-1, 1-1) know what pieces work for them. Attack Caden Leslie recorded five goals and two assists. Charlie Dechiaro contributed four goals and two assists. Christian Versacci added five assists.

The hosts grabbed a 3-0 lead in the opening three minutes and 36 seconds before Sean Zurawski scored past goalie Michael Albino at 5:12. Buonaiuto pulled the visitors within 4-2 at 9:57 before Doug Ruh’s score with 56 seconds remaining in the first quarter sparked an 8-1 run en route to a 12-3 halftime advantage.

“We kind of came out not 100%,” Steinfeld said. “This was a game, especially after losing to Hauppauge [10-5 on March 25], we had to come out 200% hustling … We weren’t winning the 50-50s. For the rest of the season, we need to really focus on being tougher, winning the 50-50s. I think that’ll translate to more goals and giving us more offensive reps.”

After the Red Devils added to their lead with four unanswered goals in the third period to take a 16-3 lead, Buonaiuto tallied twice in the fourth quarter for the final two goals of the match.

Steinfeld warned about not playing with intensity.

“If you mess up, you turn it over, you have to give 400% to get back and get that ball back immediately,” he said. “The second that you give up, the game’s already over, pretty much.”

Hauser, who had a few players sidelined with injuries, noted that it was earlier in the season and that the Tuckers can improve.

“We got some other guys out there today that don’t usually play,” he said. “Our lineup from Wednesday was different than our lineup today, and our lineup on Monday was different than today and on Wednesday.

“It’s early in the season. We had two tough non-leagues,” Hauser continued. “We knew this was going to be tough going against the reigning champions. It’s a tough game. To get this game out of the way early, I think, will maybe help us a little bit with our momentum and help build our confidence.”