Lady Seahawks still in hunt

The Carey Lady Seahawks saw their dream of capturing the league’s only playoff berth take a big hit with a 7-6 loss to visiting Glen Cove in a battle of unbeaten girls’ lacrosse teams. Sophomore Gabby Morrocu scored the winning goal with 4:21 to play as Glen Cove improved to 5-0 in Conference B-III. 

Both Carey and Glen Cove cap off their schedules with games against undefeated Sewanhaka. Senior Daina Catanese had three goals for Carey. Freshman Jacqui DiMarco added a pair for the Lady Seahawks, who fell to 4-1 in conference play, 5-5 overall.

The loss was tough on the team and head coach Maura McNamara, but she’s confident they’ll bounce back. “The girls were definitely hard on themselves after the loss, and that’s not a bad thing,” McNamara said. “They wanted the game badly. We hurt ourselves by making JV-like mistakes. We’re struggling to make connections. The midfield pass is being dropped too much. We’re making too many mistakes in transition, but we’re working hard to get better.”

The non-league season was tough on Carey. The Lady Seahawks opened with consecutive losses to Hewlett, Bethpage, and Roslyn before getting in the win column with a 13-9 league victory over Great Neck North. Catanese had six goals and an assist, and sophomore Jamie Dahl added three goals.

Catanese has found the back of the net 43 times on the season, including a 10-goal outburst in an 18-9 win over Great Neck South. McNamara is impressed with her leading scorer’s overall play. “Daina is a lot more than just a scorer,” McNamara said. “She plays well on the defensive end, carries the ball up field, and looks to set up her teammates. Most of our offensive players are young, so Daina has been great in terms of taking the younger players under her wing.”

While Catanese has clearly carried the offensive attack, seniors Annemarie Brusca, Cecelia Morgan, and Cassie Smith have led a defensive unit that has been the key to Carey’s success.