Sports

Bulldog Girls Give Up Multiple Leads in Loss to Owls

Hewlett defeated by Lynbrook team, 11-6.

Hewlett led Lynbrook three times in Friday's match-up at Lynbrook North Middle School, but the Lady Owls battled back for a hard-earned 11-6 victory. 

Hewlett (1-2) was held to its lowest goal total of the season and could not score in the final 19 minutes of the game against an unbeaten Lynbrook team (3-0). 

The Lady Bulldogs led 3-1, 5-4, and 6-5 before the team started getting outworked and beaten to ground balls late in the game.  

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"Our weakness is ground balls — that's what really ended up hurting us at the end," said Hewlett coach Rosemarie D'Ambrosio. "[Lynbrook] beat us, but we just lost it at the end." 

Hewlett did come out with more intensity after D'Ambrosio called a time out late in the game, with junior attack Jenni Rogoff shooting just wide; Hewlett also had a goal waved off for a goal circle violation. 

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"We were just trying to get them back into [the game], mentally into it," D'Ambrosio said. "We have the ability, they work really well as a team … their weakness is ground balls and mentally, when we come out of the game, that's when we fall asleep." 

Hewlett had a 3-1 lead midway through the first half, with freshman midfielder Sam DiSalvo — who led the team with four goals — scoring two goals off two assists from Val DeNapoli. But when the two tried to hook up again a few minutes later, Lynbrook's freshman goaltender Sarah Chyriwski was ready, making a big stop to keep her team within two goals. 

Lynbrook freshman midfielder Nicole Pataky and junior midfielder Kasey Carter scored 30 seconds apart to tie the game at 3. Pataky gave the Lady Owls a lead with just under five minutes remaining in the half, but DiSalvo answered just two minutes later to make it 4-4 at halftime.  

Lynbrook coach Vincent Tetro said that once his girls understood the type of defense Hewlett was playing, they were better able to set up their plays and produce more offense.  

"We had to turn around and play our game — we were trying to go too much one on one, and running in against three, four defenders, instead of playing our game, which is to pass," Tetro said. "Once [the girls] realized that the [Hewlett] defense was just collapsing, we would pull it out, reset, control the play — control the ball possession. We were trying to force way too much." 

Hewlett took another two-goal lead early in the second half off goals by DeNapoli and senior midfielder Dani Kandel, but Lynbrook freshman attack Chandley Borges and Pataky scored to tie the score yet again.  

Lynbrook took the lead for good on a goal by Pataki with 16:49 left in the second half. The Lady Owls would score another three goals within a minute-and-a-half to seal the victory.  

Hewlett travels to Bethpage on April 28 for the start of a three-game road trip. Game time is 4:30 p.m. Hewlett also plays Herricks High School on April 20 for a non-league game at 10 a.m.


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