Thursday, October 1, 2026
The first long, hot bus ride of the season didn’t go as planned, but the Oceanside boys lacrosse team hopes the lessons learned from that defeat will help them take one to Hofstra in the postseason.
“We watched the film,” coach John Emmerich said. “We got burned on a lot of mistakes. We’ve been making a lot of the same mistakes, but we’ve been winning anyway, so sometimes you’ve got to get burned to learn, and that’s the positive takeaway.
“Ultimately, the goal is to win in the playoffs. Of course, all these other games matter, but it’s really just about getting better as the season goes on so that we can make a playoff push,” he added.
That loss came on April 15, 11-4 at Roslyn, and was the Sailors’ second defeat of the season. Oceanside got back on the bus and beat Herricks, 18-12, three days later.
Sophomore Owen Mazeika had four goals and two assists, senior Jack Passuello had three goals and six assists, senior Ethan Famularo had three goals and one assist, and senior Brady Nardone chipped in with two goals and three assists in the bounce-back win.
The catalyst through the first eight games for Oceanside (6-2) has been the defense, led by senior close defenseman Chase Bier, who has 35 ground balls and 31 caused turnovers, and senior goalie Riley Hickam, who has a 59.7 percent save percentage.
Junior Drew Lynch and sophomore Max Labroska have been solid next to Bier, and senior short-stick defensive midfielders Jacob DiDio and Sean Mahoney have helped Oceanside only give up 7.5 goals per game.
“The chemistry of our defense is awesome right now,” Emmerich said.
Emmerich said he’s still waiting for the offense, which averages 9.6 goals per game, to click. But that group has two important characteristics — they share the ball to the tune of 78 percent assisted goals, and they’ve shown resilience.
In each game of a four-game winning streak, which saw Oceanside defeat Carey, Calhoun, Locust Valley, and Seaford following a 9-8 loss to Long Beach on March 20, the Sailors have either trailed or had a one-goal lead at halftime. They’ve outscored opponents 44-29 in the second half.
“They just kept playing, kept staying the course, kept playing their game, and just stayed composed,” Emmerich said. “They’ve been doing a really good job of just handling what they can control and playing the right way.”
Leading the charge offensively have been Mazeika and Passuello, who are tied for the team lead with 28 points. Famularo has nine goals and six assists, and senior Luke Miller has 11 goals and four assists.
“But even without them firing on all cylinders, we’re still winning games,” Emmerich said. “That’s a good thing, it’s promising. We’re excited about what’s on the horizon because we know they will start clicking soon, and once they do, our team’s going to feel really complete, and we’re going to get rolling.”
Perhaps rolling all the way to Hofstra.
The Sailors are home Saturday at 1 p.m. versus East Meadow.
