Friday, June 20, 2025
The MacArthur girls’ lacrosse team's regular-season record isn't snazzy but feels it won't be a pushover in the playoffs.
MacArthur finished the regular season at 7-8 – 3-7 in rugged Conference 2. The Generals suffered a heartbreaking double-overtime defeat to Calhoun, a one-goal loss to first-place Lynbrook and a 2-goal setback to Mepham.
Because of its powerful conference, MacArthur still qualified for the Class B playoffs and is seeded sixth, hitting the road Thursday for a 5 p.m. matchup with No. 3 Long Beach.
"I don't think (the record) indicated how well we've been playing, how competitive we've been in the conference,'' said MacArthur coach Dan Agovino, who stepped down as North Shore football coach but remained as leader of his alma-mater's lacrosse squad. "We've been competitive - just a couple of things didn't bounce the way we wanted them to.''
There was one stirring highlight when the ball bounced fortuitously – a rousing comeback win over cross-town rival, Levittown Division. The Generals led at halftime but let go of the rope in the second half before their riveting finish.
Danielle Kupcs scored the tying goal with 2:05 left to tie it at 8 and Caileigh O'Shea scored the game winner with 10 seconds to go off a screen by Rylee Fanning.
"When they needed to step up at the end of the game, they did and didn't panic,'' Agovino said.
The team's strength is in goal. Junior goalie Abby Clarkson continued to shine in what figures to be a second straight All-County season. Clarkson racked up 143 saves for a career tally of 434. She's committed to Youngstown State.
"She's lived up to the hype of what we expected of her and exceeded it,'' Agovino said. "The bonus of what she does is she makes a lot of big-time point-blank saves. That's such a momentum builder. She's so quick to get it out and up the field. She's creating opportunities on both ends of the field.''
Clarkson credits her defense. ""People around me have allowed me to become better,'' she said. "My best attribute is after making a save, I can make a clear outlet and get my team up for transition. We're a real good transition team.''
Surrounding Clarkson on defense is her twin sister, Olivia and Fanning, both top-notch defenders.
On a junior-dominated team that bodes well for 2026, Evie Larkin, a Drexel commit, leads the offense with 44 points (29-15). Junior attacker Kayleigh Huggard pitched in 22 goals, 14 assists, emerging as a potent lefty attacker with a polished finish.
"I thought our season was good,'' Clarkson said. "Our record doesn't define how good we are as a team.''
No playoff foe scares the Generals. "One of the things that's been our strong point is our girls really do compete regardless if we're playing a traditional powerhouse,'' Agovino said. "We'll play to the final whistle.''
