Big finish for Lady Bulldogs

In just its second year fielding a varsity girls’ lacrosse team and without a senior on the roster, Hewlett compiled an impressive 9-6 record and enjoyed a five-game winning streak down the stretch.

“The girls played so well,” coach Rosemarie D’Ambrosio said after a season-ending loss at Valley Stream on May 10. “Everything they worked on during practice, they incorporated in games. They were like sponges. I couldn’t be more proud.”

One of the keys to the strong finish, D’Ambrosio said, was the team’s ability to keep opponents’ transition goals to a minimum. “We went through a few rough patches defending transition,” she said. “But we really started to come together once we improved that weakness.”

Things began to click after a tough 11-10 loss at home to Sewanhaka on April 22 extended the Lady Bulldogs’ slide to four games and dropped them under the .500 mark for the only time this spring. They came back two days later and pumped in a season-high 20 goals in a win over West Hempstead, with Blake Breitman and Jenni Rogoff leading the way with five apiece.

One of 10 sophomores on the roster, Rogoff proved a consistent force on attack and finished the campaign with a team-leading 61 goals. She also added 14 assists for a total of 75 points. Breitman, a junior captain, had 24 goals and 14 assists. Other contributors up front included junior Nicole Tannenbaum and freshmen Cori Hoberman, Ivy Greenbaum and Julia Piri. Hoberman also contributed plenty to the defense.

Three of Hoberman’s seven goals on the year came in the first half of a 10-6 win at Glen Cove on May 4. Sophomore goalie Meri Oshrain stopped 21 shots. “Glen Cove came in with a game plan to lock down Jenni and we needed some others to step up and score,” D’Ambrosio said. “Cori came up big.”  

In the midfield, junior captain Dani Kandel (40 goals, 28 assists) and freshman Val DeNapoli (21 goals) gave opponents fits with their speed, athleticism and stick skills. Kandel scored at least once in all 17 games, netting five on several occasions, and DeNapoli dominated on face-offs.

Hoberman and sophomores Melissa Usdan and Taylor Nortman were the primary defenders in front of Oshrain, who registered 201 saves. The Lady Bulldogs allowed a total of 32 goals during their five-game winning streak.

“It’s exciting,” said D’Ambrosio, who also noted the success of the JV team. “The program is growing.”