Though Riverhead made the playoffs two years ago, the team to step on the turf at Ward Melville High School on Friday was the best lacrosse team to ever wear a Blue Waves jersey. There’s no doubt about it. The way they played the fourth-seeded nationally-recognized Patriots was pure proof.
The Blue Waves sent shockwaves through the stands as opposing fans scratched their heads wondering how a No. 13 seed was leading the game, outplaying the Patriots in every aspect.
The game was scoreless until the final minute of the first quarter. Ward Melville (15-2) was the first to score with 12 seconds left on the clock.
Riverhead’s sophomore goalie Jacob Coleman was just on a rampage to that point and his dominance continued throughout the second quarter when the Blue Waves started to make a run. John Ehlers, Riverhead’s face-off specialist, won the first seven face-offs of the game that positioned the Blue Waves to do some damage.
It didn’t take long for Riverhead (8-8) to answer. A quick pass by Austin Fitzpatrick to Mark Andrejack ended the scoring drought as the senior buried it passed the goalkeeper thirty seconds into the second quarter.
Thirty seconds later, Andrejack did it again, scoring his 40th goal of the season, this time unassisted. As if that wasn’t impressive enough to take the lead in the second half, Desmond Daniels extended the lead to 3-1 a minute later.
“We fought the entire time,” Riverhead head coach Vic Guadagnino said. “I’m totally satisfied with the effort. Today’s game was all heart.”
As Coleman deflected save after save, people in the stands started to wonder who that guy was. The spectators may not have known who he was but the players sure did.
“I play with these guys all the time with my travel team,” Coleman said. “Every time I made a save, they would talk trash and give me a little tap.”
The Patriots wouldn’t be held down for much longer as they scored two goals to tie it up before Fitzpatrick found RJ Foster for a goal to take the lead once again with 5:50 left in the second quarter. Unfortunately for the Blue Waves, that was their final goal of the game.
After going into halftime with a 5-4 lead, Ward Melville scored seven unanswered goals to win the game, 12-4.
“They’re skill level was just too high,” Guadagnino said. “That’s where the score comes from. I thought we played harder than them all game. It’s just god, they can pass the ball.”
Heads were down following the defeat and hugs came from every direction, ending a season with so much promise. Seniors took one last glimpse at their high school career before they exited to a standing ovation from the fans on the sideline.
“We put Riverhead on the map this year,” senior defenseman Raheem Brown said. “We’re always in the playoffs for football and we’re trying to make it the same environment for lacrosse.”
“It hurts but in hindsight, it’s only the second time Riverhead has made the playoffs in history,” Andrejack said. “And we were hanging with a team that’s known nation wide so I’m proud of our guys today.”
The seniors had nothing but optimism for Riverhead’s future.
“We have great coaches and great talent coming up,” Andrejack said. “I think we’ll eventually be one of those teams that you see on the schedule and say oh s**t, we’re playing Riverhead.”
RiverheadLOCAL photos by George Faella
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