Bright future for Seaford

Seaford’s girls lacrosse roster includes just one senior, but a crop of talented underclassmen give the Lady Vikings hope for a playoff run this season and a bright future.

Seaford graduated seven seniors off last year’s 7-8-1 team that fell to Oyster Bay in the Class C semifinals. The Vikings entered the year seeded fifth in Conference II and are eyeing the program’s first Class C finals appearance after four straight semifinal defeats.

“It’s a rebuilding year but we have a lot of talent,” said coach Kurt Dankenbrink, who founded the Viking girls lacrosse program in 1999. “It’s a growing process.”

Seaford’s lone senior, attacker Shannon Duncan, has been leading the young Vikings squad, which entered the week at 3-3. The three-year starter is committed to play at Pace next season and scored 10 goals in the first six games of her final high school season. “We look at her to lead on and off the field,” Dankenbrink said.

College-committed juniors who complement Duncan as experienced varsity players include goalie Dana Duggan (LIU Brooklyn), defender Molly Van Duesen (Molloy) and midfielder Alyssa Mallory (LIU Post). Mallory missed the first six games due to illness, but was expected back for the team’s April 13 non-league game against Carle Place.

The majority of Seaford’s roster is comprised of underclassmen led by Northwestern-bound midfielder Allison Palermo, who tallied 17 goals and 10 assists in the Vikings’ first six games.

“She is a very unselfish player,” Dankenbrink said of Palermo. “She has great speed and lateral movement.”

Versatile sophomore defender Kaitlin Meyer also takes draw controls and has proven to be an offensive threat on transition with six goals early on in the season.

“She’s all over the place,” Dankenbrink said of Meyer. “She does everything.”

Freshmen who are stepping up early in their high school careers include midfielders Lilly Kolodinsky, Julia Siler and Kaitlyn Grzelaczyk as well as defender Melanie Cascio. Dankenbrink is also getting contributions from eighth graders Caitlyn Costello and Gina Toscano along with seventh grader Grace Pupke.

One of Seaford’s three early losses was a narrow 13-11 defeat at Oyster Bay on March 25 in a rematch of last year’s county semifinals. Oyster Bay brought nearly its entire roster back from last year’s team that defeated the Vikings 17-13 after jumping out to an early 7-1 lead and Dankenbrink was impressed how his players competed against last year’s Class C runner-up.

“That’s a big step for us,” Dankenbrink said of the Oyster Bay game where Seaford led 6-3 at halftime.

After facing MacArthur earlier this week, Seaford is next in action April 21 at home against Calhoun.

Defending county champion Cold Spring Harbor is the clear favorite in Class C this season with Oyster Bay and Locust Valley also expecting to be contenders along with Seaford. Dankenbrink hopes his team can make enough strides make a return to the Class C semifinals at Adelphi University in late May with a shot to make history.