Rams get by Rockin' Mules

After being held to one goal over 30 minutes, West Hempstead found the net twice in the final five minutes to earn a hard-fought 5-3 victory over Malverne/East Rockaway in a Nassau Conference B-II boys’ lacrosse game April 12.

Junior midfielder Dan Sheeler scored to break a 3-3 deadlock with 4:30 remaining and sophomore attackman Dan Njoku provided an insurance goal less than 30 seconds later to lift the Rams (3-5 overall), who were blanked in the second quarter and held to one goal in the third after jumping out to a quick two-goal lead.

“It was a good game between two evenly matched teams,” West Hempstead coach Dominic Carre said. “Sheeler’s definitely our go-to- guy and someone who’s aggressive with the ball. He’s not afraid to challenge the defense and go to the cage.”

The Rams defense, which switched away from last year’s zone to a man-to-man, allowed only one second-half goal. Seniors John Gomez and Joe Visone led the effort in front of junior goalie Nick Locurcio, who made eight saves in his second straight solid performance.

“The defensive system is working out pretty good,” said Carre, who credited senior newcomer Vinny Gazzara with providing depth to the unit as a long pole defender. “Nick had one of his better games in the goal,” he said of the goalie. “He made a great save after coming out and losing his cleat.”

Malverne/East Rockaway, which remains in search for its first win of 2011 after going 7-8 last spring, got a pair of goals from senior attack Brendan Cross, who has eight in five games, and nine saves from senior goalie Billy Dey.

“They took advantage of their scoring opportunities,” Rockin’ Mules coach Mike Whalen said. “We hit two posts and had a goal called off. Those are the breaks, and we have to play through them.”

For Sheeler, the game-winning goal was his 21st of the season in eight games. Senior Ralph Torres followed with a face-off win, and the ball eventually found its way to Njoku, who picked up his second goal of the day. Junior attack Bruno DeVito had three assists, while sophomore midfielder Jon Carlo Proetti also scored.

“We were missing a few kids and I could see the guys were getting tired,” Carre said. “It was nice to see us outscore them late in the game.”

West Hempstead’s previous win was of the overtime variety, 5-4, at Herricks on April 5. It didn’t take long for senior Mike Castagna to become the OT hero, as he scored seconds after the faceoff to start the extra quarter. Sheeler, who tied the game with 4:57 remaining in regulation, notched a hat trick. Locurcio (nine saves) blanked Herricks in the second half after allowing two goals in each of the first two quarters.

“We just have to keep working on and improving the basics —throwing, catching, shooting and ground balls,” Carre said. “It’s all a matter of gaining experience.”

Malverne/East Rockaway travels to Herricks on Thursday, but the Rams won’t return to action until April 27 when they visit Wheatley.