Baldwin slips from playoff race

Baldwin’s chances of qualifying for the Nassau girls’ lacrosse playoffs were officially dashed April 17 when it failed to protect an early three-goal lead and fell at home to Roslyn, 8-6, in a key Conference IV matchup.
“For some reason we lost our sense of urgency as the game went on,” Baldwin coach Rebecca LaFlare said. “It was definitely the hardest loss to take. Now we just want to close out strong and finish as high as we can. The higher we finish, the more individual awards we’ll get.”
Senior Katie Kallamni and sophomore Tess Ferguson had two goals apiece, and juniors Megan Doyle and Dianna Meere also scored for the Lady Bruins, who slipped to 2-9 overall (2-4 in Conference IV) with three games remaining.
“All year it seemed like we played better in non-league games,” LaFlare said. “I think the girls put a little too much pressure on themselves in the conference games because they wanted to win so bad. In the non-league games, they put it all out there.
“They have awesome chemistry,” she added. “Some of the time, our offense was too unselfish. We made that extra pass when it wasn’t necessary.”

Baldwin split its past four conference games after giving first-place Carey a run for its money before falling 15-10 on April 3. “We played Carey as tough as anyone,” LaFlare said. “It was a two-goal game with five minutes left.”
The defeat to Carey was the sixth in a row out of the gate for the Lady Bruins, who got in the win column two days later, knocking off Elmont, 13-9, behind four goals from Ferguson and three from Kallamni. “They were sick and tired of losing,” LaFlare said. “They came out determined against Elmont. I was hopeful it was a game that would get us going, but we weren’t able to build a winning streak.”
A 7-4 loss to Plainview-JFK on April 9 was a bit deflating, LaFlare explained, although Baldwin rebounded a couple of days later with a 12-7 triumph at Herricks. A 10-goal first half was sparked by Kallamni, who had a hat trick, and junior Alexa Stegmuller, who scored twice.
Doyle (18) is the team leader in goals, followed by Ferguson (16) and Kallamni (13.) Defensively, seniors Fabiola Belizaire and Faye Clement, as well as sophomore Kaitlyn Trepeta, have been the “rocks in the back,” LaFlare said. Junior goalie Cailin Jemenes has improved by leaps and bounds since the start of the season, thanks to support from JV boys coach Kevin McGhee. Jemenes made 14 saves in a loss to Division.
After trips to Clarke and Island Trees, the Lady Bruins close out the campaign at home on Senior Day this Saturday at 10 a.m. versus West Hempstead.
“We can’t make the playoffs after losing to Roslyn, but we still have things to play for,” LaFlare said. “We want the seniors to finish strong. We also want to prove we’re better than what we’ve shown so far.”