Lady Bruins roll into playoffs

Baldwin won for the fifth time in seven games and all but secured its place in the Nassau Class A girls’ lacrosse playoffs with a convincing 11-4 victory at Syosset May 3.

Junior Allie Rodgers pumped in four goals and assisted on another, and eighth-grader Kelsey Cohen added a hat trick as the Lady Bruins upped their record to 9-5, including 4-3 in Conference A-I. 

“We came into this game with a positive attitude and I’m really pleased with how we played,” Baldwin coach Nicole Lein said. “We’ve come a long way from the beginning of the season. The girls are playing well and their chemistry is showing.”

Working behind a defense led by junior Nicole Markowitz and sophomore Chelsea Banks, Lady Bruins’ junior goaltender Carolina Winters made 15 saves and repeatedly denied Syosset leading scorers Tori Harrison and Dominique Compito. 

“Syosset has two really strong players and a very good goalie,” Lein said. “Our defense did an excellent job and so did Winters. She had a bunch of back-to-back saves. She’s been great all year. She played well last season and is even more comfortable with the zone defense in front of her.”

Baldwin, which built a 6-2 halftime lead, also got two goals and an assist from freshman defender Jessica Markowitz and single tallies from Nicole Markowitz and junior Nicole Gardianos. 

“I didn’t really know what to expect from the competition, being in the top conference this year,” said Lein, who guided the Lady Bruins to the county semifinals in 2010. “We’ll probably end up with the fourth or fifth seed for the playoffs, and I’d be very happy with either one.”