Offense leads Carey past Sewanhaka

For the fourth time in as many games and with first place in Conference V girls’ lacrosse on the line at Sewanhaka April 11, Carey’s offense ran like a well-oiled machine and set the tone for another victory.

Jaclyn DiMarco had four goals, Shannon Giddens and Jamie Dahl each netted a hat trick, and Kim McGrath two goals to lead the Lady Seahawks to a 16-11 win over the Lady Indians. Alyssa Mayer, Christina Ryan, Caternia Karousos and Amanda Guido also scored for Carey (4-0), which has averaged 15 goals per game. Sewanhaka (3-2) got eight goals from Kaitlyn Dempsey and 14 saves from goalie Nicole Santoli.

“Today was a huge deal,” Carey coach Colleen Killoran said. “It was our best game so far. Last year we beat Sewanhaka by one, so we knew it was going to be a tough game. It’s a good district rivalry.

“We have a really fast team and good balance,” she added. “We rely a lot on speed and hustle.”

In each of their four games, the Lady Seahawks have boasted at least three multi-goal scorers. Giddens, a freshman, leads them in goals with 10 and has been a key on draws. DiMarco and McGrath have nine apiece, and Dahl has seven. “Everyone’s capable and everyone’s contributing,” Killoran said. “It’s nice to see. They really build each other up.”

Sewanhaka, which came into the game with back-to-back one-goal victories, trailed 10-4 with 16:50 remaining but rallied behind Dempsey to make it interesting. Dempsey, a senior attacker, has 22 goals this spring including 15 in the last two games. “She’s a great athlete and very difficult to stop,” Lady Indians coach Erica Brennan said of Dempsey, who helped the basketball team reach the Nassau Class A semifinals. “She just gives her all in every game.”

Brennan said improving fundamentals — catching, passing, and scooping groundballs — is something her team needs to do to remain competitive. “We spend an hour every day working on basic skills,” she said. “We just have to keep plugging away. We’ll win some more games.”

Skyler Shimansky, Daniella Ford and Margie Londono also scored for Sewanhaka, which took a 14-13 overtime thriller over Great Neck South on April 8. “That was our best game so far,” Brennan said. “Everyone stepped up.” Shimansky tallied the game-winning goal with 30 seconds remaining off a feed from Yesenia Pallatta, who scored four times. Dempsey had seven goals, while Santoli came up big with 16 saves behind a defense led by Ford and Michelle Niles.

Carey was coming off a 14-10 victory at Wheatley on the same day. McGrath (five), DiMarco (four) and Giddens combined for a dozen goals, while Kasey Ilardi, Hannah Mutum and Dana Susse led the defensive effort.

“We’re looking to win the conference,” Killoran said.

The Lady Seahawks are back in action today, April 18, when Elmont visits for another district showdown. Sewanhaka is home against struggling Hempstead. Both games faceoff at 4:30 p.m.