Baldwin splits first six games

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Baldwin boys’ lacrosse coach Tim Clancy was pleased with how the Bruins reacted to a hard-fought 8-7 road defeat to Conference B rival Kennedy on April 8.

The Cougars won the see-saw battle on Matt Zaransky’s fifth goal of the game with 1:32 remaining. Seniors Zach Kirchner, Kevin Wallace and Joe Verity each had two goals for Baldwin, which split its first six games.

“The kids played really hard and took the result to heart,” Clancy said. “It was a quiet bus ride back home and I could see the disappointment on their faces. As a coach, you want kids to be committed and care. These guys definitely care.”

It was Baldwin’s only game of the first six decided by fewer than seven goals. Senior goaltender Elijah Bell made 10 saves for the Bruins; Kennedy’s Ben Greco made 13 saves.

“It was a tough back-and-forth game,” Clancy explained. “It took us a full quarter to settle in. We fell behind 2-0 but fought back to take the lead and it was tied going into the fourth. We just have to learn from it and move on.”

Baldwin is looking to continue its momentum from last spring when it posted an 8-5 record and qualified for the Nassau Class B playoffs. It is leaning on the leadership of captains Kirchner, Wallace, Bell and Zavier Foster to lead another playoff push.

“We have two difficult conference opponents coming up, Herricks and Calhoun, and then we’ve got Mepham and Glen Cove,” Clancy said. “Those matchups with Mepham and Glen Cove are games we need to win in terms of playoff chances.”

Kirchner had 39 points in 2021 and leads the attack again. The left-handed playmaker has 16 goals and six assists through six games. “He does everything for us,” Clancy said. “He’s saved so many possessions by winning ground balls. He’s a tremendous leader in every way.”

Verity has taken his game to another level and providing key scoring to go along with Kirchner. “Joe really stepped up and earned a starting role,” Clancy said. “He’s scored at least once in every game he’s been on the field.” Verity found the back of the net four times in a victory over Great Neck South.

Sophomore Brady Mahler has also impressed the coach so far, serving as a facilitator and leading the team in assists with eight. Five of those helpers came against Great Neck South. Mahler also has three goals.

“We’ve faced some teams that like to sit in a zone defense and that requires patience on our part,” Clancy said. “We still have to work on valuing possessions.”

Wallace (12 points) leads a midfield that includes sophomore Tyler McTaggart, who takes the majority of draws, sophomore Logan Kirchner and sophomore Aaron Bell, who’s recently returned from injury.

The defense in front of Elijah Bell is spearheaded by Foster, who may soon see some action at long pole, and seniors Christian and Aaron Nieves. “Zavier gets the toughest matchup and is also our mouthpiece on defense,” Clancy said.