Lynbrook gets best of Hewlett

The lacrosse ball hadn’t bounced Lynbrook’s way too much this spring, but a visit from bitter rival Hewlett proved just what the Owls needed to bring their game and intensity level up a notch.

Senior Steven Marrandino and juniors Luke Spitzer and Anthony Rainone netted three goals apiece and senior goaltender Ethan Mirenberg stopped 14 of 17 shots to lead Lynbrook to a convincing 11-3 Conference B-II victory over the visiting Bulldogs April 27 at North Middle School.

“We’ve played a lot of strong teams so far and needed this win to lift us up,” Spitzer said after the Owls improved to 4-5 overall and evened their conference record through four games. “Hewlett’s a big rival of ours and always gives us a tough game,” he added. “We had the chemistry working today and everyone contributed.”

The Owls scored eight straight goals after the Bulldogs (6-3, 2-1) drew first blood off the stick of senior Josh Rivlin with 2:23 remaining in the opening quarter. Junior Mark Rizzo and senior Chris Loria also scored for Hewlett, which saw its five-game winning streak come to a screeching halt.

“This was one of our bigger tests and they beat us in every aspect,” Bulldogs coach Chris Passuello said. “We’re very disappointed with our effort, and we’re either going to learn from this loss and get better or drop-off. I’d like to think the kids are going to respond.”

It took the Owls 23 seconds to respond to Rivlin’s goal. Spitzer converted a pass from Rainone to tie it, and the hosts really kicked into gear in the second quarter with five goals, including two apiece from Marrandino and Rainone, to build a 6-1 halftime advantage.

“We felt like something was taken away from us at the end of our last game [a 10-9 loss at Long Beach] and played with a chip on our shoulders today,” Lynbrook coach Bill Leighley said. “We had as much success with our zone as we have all year. It’s something that takes time to become really good.”