Thursday, October 1, 2026
Opening 7-2, it’s easy to think the Malverne/East Rockaway girls lacrosse team is in cruise control this spring. On top of which, Malverne/East Rockaway catapulted through the first five games with consecutive wins.
“Our first five games we were really able to run our offense well,” said coach Casey Capece. “And, our defense kept opponents to like six goals a game.”
That offense has been punchy, starting with Mia Vetere, who had four goals in Monday’s impressive 13-11 victory over Clarke. She set a personal and program record of 10 goals in a game, and leads the squad’s offense with 42 goals and 8 assists.
Equally as lethal is Colleen Lynch, who can do anything from snatching the ball from the draw control circle to finishing in front of the net, and everything in between. With 12 goals and 11 assists, she is as much a playmaker as she is a scorer.
Capece also knew the great start was in large part to their netminder, Eliana Morant, who regularly posts more than half a dozen saves a game, with a season high of 21 three times including the Clarke win. After Monday’s effort, Morant ranked second for most saves in Nassau County with 105 to her name so far.
“Anytime we know a girl is going to go to the cage on us, we know that Ellie is like a brick wall,” Capece said. “Her positioning and reflexes are great, and she can clear the ball really well, a huge part of our defense.”
Right between the two anchors are the midfielders, and that’s where Claire Harvey (11 goals and 10 assists) and Makayla Boubert (13 goals) factor in. Capece underscored that Harvey Boubert are the go-to’s for zipping down the field to facilitate scoring opportunities.
But Capece knew that bliss wasn’t going to last forever. The first team that really tested the Rockin’ Mules was Island Trees, and they suffered their first loss of the season, 18-11.
“I kept telling them don’t take any of this for granted and low and behold, Island Trees,” Capece warned. “We have to up our game, empty the tank when youre on the field, it’s an all out thing”
That served as a harsh learning opportunity before one more loss, Glen Cove, 15-11. The difference between the two losses is the lack of bitter aftertaste after the less-than-happy result.
“[When we] played against Glen Cove and lost, we learned a lot: we need to be more hungry for groundballs, need to lock down on draws,” Capece said. “The defense had to step up on positioning, put more pressure on the ball carrier; this game was neck and neck the whole time, defenders going coast to coast going to push a fast break.”
So it was time to recuperate and return to the drawing board for Capece, and keep cementing good habits. The team responded in a big way against Clarke.
Caitlyn Carew had a hat trick in the win over the Rams and has 28 goals, ranking second behind Vetere.
