By Tom Jordan
"It was their goal since March," coach Megan Healey said.
Though the Cyclones achieved that goal, no one could have predicted the fashion in which they did it. They reeled off 12 straight wins and outscored opponents by a count of 141-62. They beat both Lynbrook and Friends Academy 9-8, and North Shore 10-7. Their average margin of victory in the other nine games was 8.2 goals.
Captain Liz Piselli netted 76 goals to earn All-County honors and All-America consideration. She was an All-America honorable mention as a junior. Sophomore Rachel Miller, also an All-County performer, added 35 goals. Co-captain Margaret Murphy, a standout on both offense and defense, was named to the All-Conference team.
After clinching the Conference II title with a 17-7 win over Clarke on May 9, with Piselli scoring six goals and Miller adding three, the Cyclones decided their original goal wasn't enough. They entered the playoffs as a No. 8 seed and defeated No. 9 Oceanside 11-6, after starting the second half trailing 5-3. They stormed back with an 8-1 second-half spurt. Jenna Lucchesi scored the go-ahead goal with 12:50 left on an assist from Liz Cramer. Piselli scored five times and Miller three. Freshmen Melissa Gimpel and Paige Kasschua also scored.
The season ended in defeat four days later, however, as No. 1-seeded Farmingdale stopped the Cyclones 13-6.
"They played their hearts out and didn't play badly, considering we were up against such a strong team," Healey said. Indeed, the seven-goal loss was an improvement for the Cyclones, who lost to the Dales in last year's playoffs by a score of 20-5. Farmingdale is 12-0-1. In their worst game, they battled Garden City to a tie.
The Cyclones have tasted success before -- they lost just three games last year -- but Healey called this year a breakout season. Because of a recent rise in popularity in girls' lacrosse, and because of Rockville Centre's youth leagues, players are a lot more skilled by the time they reach high school.
One reason for the Cyclones' unprecedented success was their unselfishness. They found themselves without an experienced goalie entering the season, and Jess DiBrita, usually an offensive player, volunteered to fill the void. She turned in an All-Conference season in her new role.
"She really stepped up and did a great job, " Healey said. "I had great kids. They called themselves one big happy family."
The happy family began its season with a 14-5 win over East Meadow back on March 18. In addition to a combined eight goals for Piselli and Miller, Courtney Morin and Lauren Foley added two apiece. South Side defeated Carey 17-5 on March 24, as Piselli scored seven times. Two days later the Cyclones handled Oceanside 15-2.
They beat North Shore 10-7 as DiBrita stopped 22 shots. After fending off Friends Academy, the Cyclones won their next four games by a combined 35 goalts, then outlasted Lynbrook on May 6. They completed their undefeated regular season with wins over Herricks and Clarke.
The Cyclones will lose nine seniors to graduation and then move up to Class A next year, where they will face the Farmingdales of the world on a regular basis. But Kasschau and Gimpel will be sophomores, and Healey said the junior varsity is strong. They'll be needed if the Cyclones are to hang a banner with an "04" in the gym.
