Progress for Malverne/East Rockaway

Though a Nassau Class C boys’ lacrosse playoff spot eluded Malverne/East Rockaway, first-year coach Brian Redash was encouraged by the team’s performance and is looking forward to the future.

“We played some really good lacrosse from late March to early May,” Redash said after Malverne/East Rockaway dropped its regular-season finale, 16-7, against Mineola on May 13. “The guys pour their heart and soul into the program,” he added. “One of the keys to getting better is playing more during the offseason. If we do that and play more often during the summer, maybe we’re 10-5 instead of 8-6.”

Redash said he’s exploring summer league options for the team, which is expected to return 18 players to the varsity next year. “We have to take advantage of opportunities to play more,” he said. “We have a lot of guys who play two or three years on varsity. For the nine seniors, not making the playoffs was disappointing but it was still a positive season.”

Redash said he was unsure if a win over Mineola would’ve accumulated enough power rating points for Malverne/East Rockaway to make the playoffs, though it would’ve been close. “I felt we played them pretty tough,” he said. “It was a game we were competitive in, but the experience was a factor.” The Mustangs got five goals from Brian Smith, and two goals and five assists from Tim Gill. AJ Evans, a senior from East Rockaway, had a hat trick.

“Most of the teams in Conference C ended up where they were seeded,” Redash said. 

Early in the season, Malverne/East Rockaway enjoyed a six-game stretch where it racked up five wins. The one loss during the span, 9-3 to Bellmore-JFK, was also significant, the coach said, because it was a one-goal margin midway through the third quarter. “I look back at the Kennedy game as a measuring stick,” Redash noted. “We struggled against them in the past, and some of the games weren’t close. This year we hung right with them most of the way.”

Wins over Lawrence and Elmont, and a hard-fought loss to Uniondale, were also notable. “Some scores didn’t do us justice,” Redash said. “But we were competitive in most of the losses.”

Senior James Eacobacci, from East Rockaway, brought his game to another level this spring. The three-year starting attack led the team in goals with 24 and also had 11 assists. “James overhauled his game and brought a lot of passion and fire,” Redash said.

Evans, who got most of his 16 goals from the crease area, and sophomore Dan Fusco, served as the other starters up front. The biggest of Fusco’s 11 goals came in overtime to beat Valley Stream District on April 28.

In the midfield, juniors Chris Hackett and Bryce Todd out of Malverne set the tone. Senior long pole middie Jack Lark, from East Rockaway, brought a nonstop motor. Malverne junior Maxon Jean led the defensive effort in front of goaltender and classmate Antonio Algarra.