Hewlett adds to one-goal games

When the Nassau Class B boys’ lacrosse playoffs begin in three weeks, perhaps no team will be better prepared to play a nail biter than Hewlett.

Five of its first 10 games were decided by a goal, including last Friday’s 10-9 Conference B-II loss at Plainedge and a 5-4 triple-overtime victory over Bethpage just 48 hours earlier.

“We’re a young team playing with fire every day,” Bulldogs coach Chris Passuello said. “We’re starting five sophomores and we’re mixing it up pretty good. Most of our games have been up for grabs in the fourth quarter.”

The clock wasn’t kind to Hewlett (7-3 overall, 2-1 in conference games) in its setback at Plainedge. The Red Devils secured a 6-6 halftime tie with a second-quarter goal just before the horn, and won it on R.J. Rossi’s goal with three seconds remaining in regulation. “The story in a nutshell was they got two buzzer-beaters and won 90 percent of the draws,” Passuello said. “It was a back-and-forth game, but they had a lot more possessions than we did.”

The starting attack for the Bulldogs combined for five goals and four assists. Junior Chris Loria scored three times, junior Jake Geiger had two goals and two assists, and sophomore Michael Gray contributed a pair of helpers. Senior goaltender Brandon Israel made 10 saves, as did Plainedge’s Mike Arnold.

“I liked the way we played,” Passuello said. “Shot selection and understanding situations are our biggest obstacles at this point, and I thought we made smart decisions throughout the game.”

It was the first time this spring Hewlett allowed an opponent to reach double digits in goals. “We have a strong defense as a whole,” said Passuello, who relies on Myles Benhar, Jake Gutner, Jared Brent, Mark Rizzo and Jesse Mauro to lead the defense. “It was a strange game because we lit it up offensively and couldn’t get the big defensive stop we needed.”

Against Bethpage, the Bulldogs didn’t allow a goal for the last 10 minutes of regulation and more than 10 minutes of sudden-death overtime. Loria finally ended it, converting a pass from Jake Posner midway through the third OT. Sophomore midfielders Sam Martorella (two goals, one assist) and Adam Betesh (one goal, one assist) sparked the offense, while Israel came up with 14 saves. “For a while it felt like a game nobody wanted to win,” Passuello said. “We ended it on a play we thought could work all day, but it took us a few times to execute.”

Two stiff challenges are on tap. On May 5, Hewlett travels to Lynbrook (South Middle School) to take on the Owls at 4:30 p.m., then returns home to host South Side on May 8 at 10 a.m.

“Our goal is to finish no lower than eighth [in Class B] and host a first-round playoff game,” Passuello said.