MAY 6, 2000 SATURDAY NIGHT

It doesn't get any better than this! Two great teams playing their hearts out on a Saturday night in front of a 'standing room only' crowd of thousands! A tight contest with plenty of goals and no lead larger than two at any time. Gutsy play from everyone that stepped on the field for both teams. Melville always expects a good game from Sachem but this was exceptional. Hard, clean, fast paced lacrosse! Sachem showed why they are ranked #2 in the county, #3 in the State, and #8 in the country! They did just about everything right across the board including some excellent goal tending. The veterans on this Melville squad have seen these things before and were able to handle their end of the challenge. This was a great game from both sides and maybe the best game between these rivals in a decade!

Towards the end of the game the Patriots got dramatic goals from Drew Casino unassisted off the faceoff for number 7; Matty Mo unassisted for number 8; and a freight train Drew Casino from Todd Cunningham for the winner with a little over a minute remaining in the game. The Patriots were then forced once again to play a man down. The penalty lasted to the 3 second mark of the game. Melville cleared and threw the ball high in the sky as the last seconds ticked off the clock.

Details

Sachem won the opening ground ball off the faceoff and promptly turned it back to Melville. Kurt Gerry gained an open shot but fired wide setting up an Arrows attack and save by Nick Gentilesco. Sachem regained possession and shot wide and was granted a Man-up for a Patriot's penalty(?*#). WM wins the ball back and executes a long possession, generating a shot opportunity for Drew Casino narrowly misses off the corner. Sachem regains the ball via the referee and sets up a top shot and goal #1 for the Arrows. Melville is set back again shortly afterward on calls against our #44 and #24 for a Sachem two-man advantage (two of many controversial calls). Cory Harned hits a pipe, fires wide, and gets stopped up top before the Pats clear from Stebbins to Mele to Kelaher to Theodorakis and over to Todd C who hits Josh Ben-Eliyahu on a cut, burying the shot for the 1-1 tie. Melville held off one more penalty for 90 seconds and  finished the first with the tie at one.

The second opened with a continuation of the Kelaher penalty with a turn over earned by Nicky G beating the attackman to the line on a shot. A pass from Theodorakis to Miaritis is interrupted and cleared to the attack where Harned is stripped by Passavia, outlet to Cunningham, driving though traffic to the crease...shot...save. Melville retrieves and works to Monfett, drives, turns...shot steered aside. Gerry with the ball to Casino across the crease, blind sided with a big hit to the turf...Melville recovers. Monfett drives again but shoots wide. Casino drives but the hot shot bounces over the crossbar recovered by Monfett who feeds Casino again, but is checked...ball to Sachem, recovered by Melville and cleared by Gerry...worked to Monfett, shot, save, ball to Sachem. In the attack zone, the Arrows work the ball around and hit the cutter who can't handle the feed but the ball caroms off the body and into the net under a bewildered Nicky G. and a 2-1 Sachem lead. 

Sachem wins the ground ball off the faceoff but Melville intercepts and Gerry clears and drives the length of  the field and fires at close range for an energizing goal to tie at 2. Again the ground ball goes to Sachem off the faceoff as a long stick brings the ball up for a shot and Gentilesco save. An ensuing penalty to Sachem generates three Melville shots, including one pipe, that do not find their mark. Some unsettled play follows with possession changes that end up with a Melville ball going to Matty Mo with a drive, shot, and score for a Melville lead at 3-2. Sachem wins the next faceoff on a proceedure call and goes man-up on another controversial call. Sachem capitalizes in the person of Corey Harned to knot it again at 3 each. Again the Arrows gain a ground ball off the faceoff and quickly find an open man for goal number four and the lead at 4-3 going into the break.

Melville wins the opening draw and the ball. Casino settles it after a while and drives for a quick shot that finds another pipe. Monfett picks up a penalty on the following clear that sets the table for another man-up Harned goal and a 5-3 Arrows lead. A faceoff win for Melville and a Man-up after a slash on Casino. A couple of missed shots and a broken 2 on 1 and Melville is coming up empty until Miaritis picks up the ball dropped at the crease by the goalie and tucks it home to narrow the gap to one goal.  Melville is winning the little battles here and sets up 5 quality shot opps that go...save...just wide...just wide...save...wide...just wide...knocked down (high, no call)...and bounced over. Exciting but a dry well. One more Monfett drive does the trick for the goal and tie at five each in the third. Melville wins the ball and clears with Gerry who fires just wide with an open look. Some rough play and turnovers ends up with a Melville ball worked to #33 off the pipe to #23 off the other pipe! Some possession changes and another Patriot penalty round out the action but holds the score at 5-5 at the end of three.

Drew wins the ball to open the fourth and delivers to WillO' who finds the double but recovers and passes to Miaritis to Monfett, shot, save, recover by #23 feeding to #33...missed pass...recover, #33 shot, save. Sachem clears and runs the offense into traffic and an unsettled condition, feeds a cutter who delivers a behind the back shot for a 6-5 Sachem lead. Melville wins the faceoff and brings the ball back to the offense. Monfett finds a shot opening but not the net. Melville works the ball aggressively and connects from Cleaver to Applegate for a hard finish and another tie at six all.  Casino fires up and grabs the faceoff and races downfield and rips a winner on the run for a 7-6 Melville lead in the closing minutes. It felt like the Pats would finally start to click but there's still plenty left in the game. Drew wins the next one also and finds another opening but this time finds the pipe and no net. Somehow, Sachem is again awarded possession and generate two more Harned shots, one off the mark and one saved. The Pats give the ball away on a sloppy clear but Passavia recovers with an outstanding over the head check that he works to perfection. But the refs called yet another penalty (again, the crowd was angry, and is again proved correct on the video tape...the check is clean). Melville loses momentum again but holds and regains possession, working to 3 more quality shots that don't get home. The Arrows attack again and create an open look that #2 buries for another tie at 7 goals as the clock ticks. 

Sachem, fired up by the goal, gains the ball after the draw and loosens a man in the around the cage for a quick goal and the lead at 8-7 with about two minutes left to play in regulation. The Arrow's were pumped and ready for the upset. The Patriot's were surprised to be in this position against this year's Arrows, but they have been in this position before. The next faceoff is won by Casino and cleared to Cunningham, back to Casino who just misses. The ball is worked to Monfett who is stopped by the goalie and the ball cleared efficiently to the Sachem attack. Tick...tock...tick...tock. Kurt Gerry then steals a pass and clears the ball while Nick Gentilesco is slashed. Melville quickly loses the ball but gets it back on a Gentilesco save. Gerry brings it to Monfett who makes a fantastic move to goal, changes hands in traffic, and slides the shot into the net for a tie at eight with a minute and change left on the clock. 

The next faceoff finds Casino and his counterpart with their sticks clasped in the air, neither in possession, as the ball gets flipped upward and is picked out of the air by Todd Cunningham in stride who turns and drives towards the goal. He moves down towards his right in motion and draws attention while Casino bolts down the middle and takes a pinpoint feed from Todd and smokes the winner past the anxious Sachem keeper. Incredible, but it's not over yet. 

The next faceoff runs to Cunningham who is doubled and then called for a slash!! 63 seconds remain in the game and one more one minute penalty to finish the evening! The defense rallied and Nick Gentilesco saved one that deflected back to the Arrows. Kelaher then picked off a pass and sent it mail order to the offense who ran out the clock and fired the ball skyward for the final three seconds!

Patience! Perseverance! Go Patriots!