East Meadow Jets

EAST MEADOW

Two new pilots for Jets

By BRIAN KACHARABA

Anew era for both East Meadow lacrosse teams has begun. Assistant coach and lacrosse lifer Tom Susko takes over the helm for the boys’ team in place of Steve D’Argenio, who is now an assistant at SUNY Purchase. Susko will be tasked to turn around a team that struggled to a 2-10 mark in 2021 because of injuries, illnesses, and inexperience. “We tell the boys every day is you’ve got to work hard, do your job, and hopefully everything else will fall into place,” Susko said. “A lot of them are working hard. All winter, they came down on their own time and hit the wall and we did all stickwork trying to get them to get better.” The Jets scored just 63 goals in 12 games last year and 43 of those tallies came from graduating seniors. Seniors Patrick Spinola (14 goals), Brian Surless and Brendan Doheny (3 apiece) are the only returnees that found the back of the net last season and are expected to be the main sources of offense this spring. “We have a few young men who are stepping up and we hope to have everybody healthy,” Susko said. “Spinola and Surless are going to run the offense. That’s our meat and potatoes right there and hopefully we will just keep getting better every day.” Susko is also high on junior Fernando Flores, who starred on JV last season. Senior middie Sal D’Amico is strong on faceoffs and defense and is one of the better ground ball players. He will form a tandem with Brandon Kebreau and versatile junior Mark Reyes. To help a defense that allowed almost 13 goals a game, senior Kyle Nacionales was moved from attack to the long pole on the back end and will join a group that also includes Jack Egan, Nick Spinato and Nicholas Longardino. Senior Eddie Michels takes over in goal.

this spring. “We have a few young

East Meadow seeks elusive win

The girls’ team will also have a new coach that is familiar in the district in Nicolette Tortorici, who also took over the girls’ soccer team last fall. Tortorici is a former standout lacrosse player at Deer Park who also starred

on the nationally ranked SUNY Cortland team fi ve years ago. Tortorici inherits a team that has lost 18 straight games dating to 2019 – including an 0-14 mark in 2021 – as well as last season’s top two scorers and starting goalie to graduation. But she said the current squad is embracing the nurturing and tough love approach she and her coaching staff displayed so far. “They know how serious I am and how cutthroat I am,” she said. “During tryouts, we ran them to the ground with testing and stuff like that. I think they’re excited because they’re fi nally really being taken seriously. I think the coaches in the past didn’t have too much lacrosse experience.” Senior Lindsay Solenski (29 goals, 5 assists) and junior Isabella Pota (25-10) lead a strong midfi eld corps and senior attack Gina Giambald (10-3) is expected to provide even more scoring. They are expected to lead the Jets again. “Lindsay reads the fi eld so well,” Tortorici said. “Gina is super, super fast [and] reads the plays really well. She’s a lefty on our attack, so she’s going to be a huge threat down low and Bella is super standout lacrosse player at Deer aggressive and she has a great Park who also starred reading of the game.” Junior Kelly Stump and sophomore Alexis Chew are expected to get more playing time this season and could also be vital parts of the offense. The defense allowed over 15 goals a game last season and Tortorici is hoping seniors Cassandra Stump, Ashlee Sjoholm, Paige Gewirtz, Nikki Turissi and junior Ava Lanza can help lower that number. Sophomore Dynasty Ramos, who played on the football team last fall, is the new goalie.

Pat Spinola

aggressive and she has a great reading of the game.” Junior Kelly Stump and sophomore Alexis Chew are expected to get more playing time this season and could also be vital parts of the offense. The defense allowed over 15 goals a game last season and Tortorici is hoping seniors Cassandra Stump, Ashlee Sjoholm,

Paige Gewirtz, Nikki Turissi and junior Ava Lanza can help lower that number. Sophomore Dynasty Ramos, who played on the football team last fall, is the new goalie.

Lindsay Solenski

Conference Schedules

BOYS

April

14 Farmingdale 5:00 p.m. 27 Uniondale 4:45 p.m. 30 @ Plainview 2:00 p.m.

May

4 @ Valley Stream 4:45 p.m. 6 Oceanside 5:00 p.m. 11 Syosset 4:45 p.m. 14 @ Freeport 10:00 a.m. 19 @ Hempstead 4:45 p.m. GIRLS

March

30 Plainview 4:45 p.m.

April

1 @ Oyster Bay 5:00 p.m. 5 MacArthur 5:00 p.m. 8 @ Mineola 4:45 p.m. 12 Hewlett 5:15 p.m. 27 @ Floral Park 4:45 p.m.

May

2 Division 5:00 p.m. 6 @ Mepham 4:45 p.m.