Oceanside primed for playoff run

Playing at a high level and being healthy come May are essential for any Nassau County boys’ lacrosse team looking for a deep playoff run.

Despite having a five-game winning streak snapped last Friday with a 13-8 road loss to Syosset, a game which saw senior defenseman Joe Denaro return to the lineup, Oceanside appears to be set for the postseason.

Sailors coach Jim Gillis likes the way his team is playing down the stretch of the regular season. “We were kind of just finding ourselves at the beginning of the season, and losing Denaro in the first scrimmage made things tough on the defense,” Gillis said. “We’re good at putting losses behind us, and focusing on getting better. All year, it’s been about moving on to the next play. I like the way we’re playing as we go into the last four regular-season games.”

Oceanside was battle-tested heading into Syosset. During a four-game stretch, the Sailors took on four of the top five seeds in the conference, and beat three of them.

After falling to top-seeded Massapequa, the Sailors welcomed in Port Washington. Oceanside (8-3, 4-2 in Conference A-I) trailed 4-3 at the half, but came on like gangbusters in the third quarter and turned the game into a 12-6 rout. Junior attacker Brennen Segelken scored four goals and assisted on another. Senior Luke Schwasnick added two goals and two assists.

The next time out, the Sailors fell behind Baldwin 4-3, but again came from behind to earn a 9-7 victory. Junior middie Mike Checco scored with just under four minutes to play to give Oceanside an 8-7 lead. Schwasnik, who is tied with Segelken for the team lead with 26 goals, scored three goals, and junior Shane Clark added a goal and three assists.

Oceanside continued its winning ways with a gutty 10-9 overtime victory at Hicksville. True to form, the Sailors saved their best for the latter moments of the game. Schwasnik found the back of the net three times, including the game-winner with 3:48 remaining in overtime. The Sailors scored seven goals in the final quarter and got 14 saves in the game from goalie Kevin Lamantia.

Gillis believes the increased playing time afforded some of his young defensemen while Denaro recovered from his injury has helped their development. Junior Connor Johnson led the defense while Denaro was out, and juniors Dean Lynch and Blake Igoe have played well. The tandem of sophomore Kevin O’Keefe and senior Jesse Platia has been excellent on draws. 

“I like the approach the guys have as we get ready for the playoffs,” Gillis said. “They don’t hang their heads when things aren’t going well; they just talk about what they need to do to get it right. I absolutely feel good about the way we’re playing. Hopefully, we put ourselves in position to host a playoff game.”

The Sailors welcome Plainview-JFK to town this Saturday at 10 a.m.