“Look,” Riverhead head coach Victor Guadagnino said as he pointed to his face. “I’m not even mad.
“How can I be mad when my team plays with this,” Guadagnino said pointing to his chest.
How could a coach be mad at a team that came back from a 14-4 halftime deficit, finishing the game only down by four goals, 15-11?
It was a tale of two halves for the Blue Waves.
To score 14 goals in a game is a rare feat in lacrosse, so when that was on the scoreboard at the half listed next to “guest,” looming on the horizon was an old-fashioned blowout.
Northport (9-2 Division I, 10-2 overall) showed what a team with championship hopes looks like. They passed the ball fluidly and accurately, winning the battle of possession, and completely dominating on face-offs.
Northport, ranked at No. 9 in the Tri-State Top 20 according to MSG Varsity, features a nationally ranked player as far as face-offs are concerned: Austin Henningsen.
“We couldn’t get the ball back,” said Guadagnino. “Every time they scored a goal, they won the face-off. Austin’s the best in the county.”
Out of 19 face-offs in the first half, Riverhead only won two.
Coach Ralph Pepe, who runs the offense for Riverhead, reiterated how important face-offs are.
“It’s all about getting opportunities,” said Pepe. “Winning face-offs gives us a chance to produce opportunities.
“This game is about possessions and getting shots,” he said. “Without ground balls, hustle and face-offs, you can’t get shots.”
Riverhead (7-5 Division I, 9-5 overall) turned it around in the second half, refusing to go out in embarrassment. The Waves only allowed one goal in the second half, while their goals started to pour in.
Undoubtedly, opportunities came because of a better face-off success rate as Riverhead won 11 of 15 face-offs while Henningsen sat for most of the second half.
All of a sudden, the Blue Waves regained their stellar form, moving the ball, executing plays, hustling, and playing with pride. And it’s that pride the Blue Waves need to continue to tap into as they attempt to secure their first playoff berth in team history.
“We never quit, regardless of who we’re playing against,” said Guadagnino. “That’s the reality of this team.”
After giving up the first goal in the second half, the Blue Waves put together seven straight goals proving that they too can hang with the best of them, should things start to click heading into the final two games of the season.
Dan Czelatka led the comeback surge as he scored a team-high four goals. Ryan Bitzer and Ryan Hubbard each scored two goals in the loss.
Because Northport was ranked 3rd in Division I, the loss shouldn’t hurt the Blue Waves too much as they entered the day ranked 11th. Thirteen teams qualify for the playoffs in Division I.
Brian Cannon scored a game-high 7 goals for Northport.
Leading the Blue Waves in ground balls were Blake Carrara (4) and Ryan Harkin (3).
Bitzer led the Blue Waves in assists with three.
Riverhead lost defensive standout Jaron Greenidge for the season as he apparently blacked out after he went in to make a hit. Guadagnino called Greenidge’s injury a “huge blow to the team” referring to him as a “great human being” who “played with his heart.”
“All I remember is going in to try to make a big hit,” said Greenidge. “I don’t remember anything after that.”
Riverhead may drop a spot or two at day’s end but can possibly clinch a playoff spot as they play North Babylon (3-8) on Saturday for their final home game of the season at 2 p.m.
“I played everyone today and they played hard,” said Guadagnino. “When you bring kids together and they believe in each other, big things can happen.”
RiverheadLOCAL photos by Emil Breitenbach Jr.
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