By TONY BELLISSIMO
Though the Lady Marines won five of their first eight Conference III battles and have a good chance of finishing with a 9-3 record, they'll need some help in order to advance to the playoffs for the first-time in nine years of competition.
"We're looking to finish strong, and that's all we need to focus on," coach Pat Gormley said. "No matter what we do, we have to hope a few large school teams in Conference II finish below .500. It's not looking favorable right now, but anything is possible."
Long Beach closes with games against Jericho, West Hempstead, Sewanhaka and Bellmore-JFK. The Lady Marines beat three of those teams a year ago, while Sewanhaka is new to the varsity level.
"We should do OK down the stretch," Gormley said. "When we hustle and do the little things right, we're a top team. We've got four or five girls that can score and a goalie that's playing as well as any goalie we've ever had."
An 11-8 loss to Hicksville prior to spring break could be a costly one. Jackie Dugan and Meghan Gallagher had two goals apiece, while senior goalie Deidre Delay made 26 saves. Hicksville and Elmont are tied atop Conference III with identical 6-0-1 marks, and it's unlikely Long Beach can catch either one.
"We dug ourselves too much of a hole against Hicksville," Gormley said. "We were down as many as five, but whenever we cut into the deficit they came back with a goal. We didn't give up, that's for sure. We kept fighting and that's all I can ask."
The Lady Marines had won three straight prior to the setback, with Dugan scoring a remarkable 14 goals against Mepham, Great Neck South and Great Neck North. She tallied six times in a 12-6 win over Mepham that saw Nicole Katz and Emma Zimmerman score twice. She had five goals and Gallagher three in a 14-4 win over Great Neck South, and Dugan, Gallagher and Zimmerman each had hat tricks in a 10-6 triumph over Great Neck North.
"Jackie's been scoring in bunches," Gormley said. "She's a big reason why we're averaging 10 goals a game."
With the exception of losses to Hicksville and Elmont, opponents are having trouble solving Delay and the defense of seniors Carolina Ortega, Yelithza Gonzalez and Sonica White. "The defense has played well, and Deidre has to be one of the top goalies in the county," Gormley said.
In addition to its 10 seniors, Long Beach has been getting solid efforts from juniors Antoinette Cataldi and Courtney Weinshank, and sophomores Gallagher, Zimmerman and Caitlin Buonanno.
"We've increased our number of victories every year as of late and we're two wins away from surpassing last year's mark," Gormley said. "Whether we make the playoffs or not, I'd love to see us finish with nine wins."
The Lady Marines are home this Friday versus West Hempstead at 4 p.m.
