Calhoun getting back to basics

An 11-day holiday break in the lacrosse schedule came at the perfect time for Calhoun (3-5 overall, 2-2 in Conference I), which dropped consecutive games to fourth-seeded Hicksville (15-7 last Friday) and second-seeded Syosset (13-7 on April 12).

The scores aren’t indicative of the way the games ultimately played out, however, as the Colts were unable to fully recover from one bad quarter against each opponent. The Comets outscored Calhoun, 8-1 in the second quarter, while the Braves led 6-0 after the first.

“We played the No. 2 and No. 4 seeded teams so we knew it was going to be a tough task,” first-year coach Jim Femminella said. “But after the [first quarter] against Syosset we played a tremendous second, third and fourth quarters and the kids were excited.”

Trailing by six after the first eight minutes, the Colts matched the Braves goal for goal over the final three quarters led by senior midfielder Kurt Abitz and senior attack Charlie Isham, each of whom scored twice. Abitz, in particular, has become a steady contributor on offense over the last several games. He’s become more aggressive around the cage and gotten more shots on the opposing goalie and the end result has been more goals.

The offense, as a whole, has been consistent all season for the Colts driven by not only Abitz but also senior midfielder Joe McGinley, an All-County Honorable Mention last season, and senior attack Johnny Roth. McGinley and Roth have become a potent scoring combination with Roth doing some of his best work behind the cage in a set-up role. Each player had two goals and an assist in the loss to Syosset and they combined for five goals and five assists in a 12-4 victory over Herricks on April 9. “When the offense gets the ball, it’s definitely able to generate goals,” Femminella said. “If you look at our wins, we have a lot of guys scoring two goals each.”