Boys lacrosse: Riverhead comes up short against Northport, 6-5

It was the third time it happened this season.

Every indication pointed toward a Blue Wave victory Wednesday morning.  Riverhead out-hustled Northport. They were first to loose balls. They came up big on defense when they needed.  To keep a top-5 opponent to just one goal midway through the 3rd quarter is an accomplishment all on its own. After Dan Czelatka extended the lead to 4-1 with 5:12 left to go in the third quarter, an offensive-challenged game seemed to be wrapped up.

But before the 3rd quarter ended, Northport put up two goals to cut the score to 4-3.  Tension began to rise amongst the players.  As Northport inched closer, mental blunders became prevalent.

Though Mark Andrejack would score a goal off of an assist from Ben Weir to start the fourth quarter to make the score 5-3, that was the end of the Blue Wave offensive arsenal.

Within a span of one minute, Northport capitalized on Blue Wave mental errors, scoring three consecutive goals.

“It was a huge mental breakdown,” Riverhead coach Vic Guadagnino said. “We needed to communicate with each other to understand what was happening. And we let some of their better players take advantage of us a little bit and forgot a couple of our assignments because we weren’t communicating.”

Riverhead had no answer.  A shot by Ryan Hubbard in the crease was the closest chance they had with 1:50 left in the game. The ball appeared to cross over the goal line but the Northport goalie quickly covered it up with his stick before it could advance any further.

It was an opportunity missed.

A game that could have easily been theirs with better possessions and communication in crunch time, was essentially given away.  It happened against Mount Sinai in the first game of the season, then against Bayshore in an overtime defeat and then now against Northport.

The final score read 6-5, as a deflated Blue Waves squad walked off their home field.

“To beat these top-5 teams, you have to understand the brain part of the game,” Guadagnino said. “We’ve caught up physically but mentally we have to understand to communicate with each other on the field at all times on offense and defense so that we make the easy play.”

“We just play too quiet,” Guadagnino continued. “To be a top team, you need to communicate like one.”

Riverhead dropped to 3-4 and Northport improved to 5-2 in Division I.

John Roca had 15 saves in an incredible effort between the pipes. Blake Carrara led the Blue Waves in ground balls with eight.  Ben Weir, Desmond Daniels and Austin Fitzpatrick also scored for the Blue Waves.

Riverhead returns to action next Tuesday against Half Hollow Hills West.

RiverheadLOCAL photos by Kyle Breitenbach
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